Dirty Little Secrets
by impersonal
Summary: A company is rumoured to have dirty little secrets...and it's up to Kaioh Michiru to find out as a police spy. She snucks into the company as a worker but ends up working under Tenoh Haruka. Is Haruka a friend or foe or much more or everything combined?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

"_Everyone, please give a huge round of applause for young talented 23 year old Kaioh Michiru!!"_

_The whole crowd of people rose and gave me a standing ovation for such a splendid performance! Wolf whistles! Cheers! The applause was so deafening that I had to cover my ears to ease the loudness…of course, elegantly covering my ears, that is. The flashes of cameras to capture my moment of glory on stage as a world renowned violinist were so numerous…ah, I think I'm going to be blinded by it! Nevertheless, I smile the nicest smile I have and stand proud to face the audience below me! And then a black figure at the front seat catches my attention and waves at me with a red rose in her hand…my love! Beside her would be more black figures of my family…_

"Kaioh-san, please brief us on the proposal you and Tenoh-san had came up with."

_How poor things they are! In the face of my success and glory they can only be my background pictures! But nevertheless I must show the world how important they are…So I look at their direction and waved. Immediately, all the cameras go to the direction of them! From black figures they are suddenly colored and clear faces! "There! The people behind my success!" I exclaimed as I see my parents' proud faces. _

"_There! Kaioh-san!"_

"Kaioh-san?"

"_And Kaioh-san again!"_

"Kaioh-san."

_My grandparents too! "And Kaioh-san and Kaioh-san!" Screamed the emcee! _

"Kaioh-san, Kaioh-san!"

"_Now for Kaioh Michiru's lover…." There was a drum roll, before the spot light shines on the love of my life and finally she is out of the darkeness and coloured, though I still can't make out her face…."She is-"_

"Tenoh-san? Your assistant-"

"Ouch!" I felt a very hard kick on my calf under the table as I yelped in pain. Bloody hell who the-

Nine pairs of eyes look at me in shock, while one pair of green ones glared at me across the table. Not just any table; it was a meeting table, with ten other people from Mentos Incorporated board of directors sitting around it staring at me. All dressed smartly in formal office wear with a serious but shocked look on their faces. What can I say? Think, Michiru! Think!!

"Ooh, this new proposal flavor for Mentos candy is just hot!"

I gave a mega watt smile to the nine other faces whose mouth is gaping wide in silence now. My lips feel a little hard. But, ah, to hell with it. Then I touch the file containing the proposal and quickly retracted back, faking a pained expression.

"Woah! Ouch! Hot!"

"Yes! Hot!" Tenoh suddenly stood up and declared; while in a swift movement took the proposal file from me. I scowled and gave him a dirty look while he glared at me swiftly.

"This is the new concept for marketing the new flavour of our candy. Hot! It's not a secret that the society is more and more open nowadays. Products marketed with a little sexual connotations nowadays are the norm. If we stick to our minty image we might lose out to competitors who would realize the power of reaching out the masses using images that now, appeal to young and old alike. We could come up with catchy slogans with that image like 'Mentos, Smokin'!' and we could even change packages the candy (all flavours, I mean) to suit the new marketing programme. But of course, I love the old school Mentos style of packaging and marketing. So what we- " I noted his emphasis and a little sarcasm in the word 'we' "thought of was to keep the old. But bring out the new hot image as something like a limited edition. I'm sure all Mentos die-hard fans would love a new packaging and a new sizzling hot flavor!"

Now it was Tenoh's turn to flash a mega watt smile at the shocked and serious faces of the other nine board of directors in this oddly cold and dark meeting room at the first floor of the humongous building of Mentos Inc. At the corner of my eye, I noticed one of the directors (a bloody lecherous old man, if you ask me) glanced at me and I gave a mega watt smile too. I must say, Tenoh and me look quite alike when we did that. Big eyes, big smile, shining white teeth, good skin, frozen face.

Silence.

The chief of the board cleared his throat finally after a long period of silence. "Good job, Tenoh. I'll like to see you and your assistant work on it. Let's continue on with the weekly financial report-"

Ah, my face got cramped smiling too wide.

* * *

"Meeting is finalized and done. Alright, you all are dismissed" the chief of director announced. Well, he's looks like a nice old man in my opinion. Gray thinning hair, with a face crumpled with wrinkles from smiling too much, small eyes and a friendly nose. I don't know why, I found his nose really looked friendly. A far cry from the notorious nose on a scowling face that is now staring at me across the meeting table now.

"Kaioh-san, what in the world has gotten over you just now?" Deep husky voice. I used to like people with such voices, but because of him I found it annoying now.

"Well, it's a common human lapse in concentration," in a very nonchalant and defiant voice, and proceeded to pack my belongings.

Ah, I succeeded in annoying him again. His eyebrows were twitching.

He started packing too, and we both stood up at the same time. But I was nearer to the door, so I got to the door frame first but he put his arm in front of me and blocked my path.

"What is it, Tenoh-san?"

"You do know I can fire you, right?"

"I'll like to see you try," I replied in an icy voice, turning around to look up at him straight in the eye.

Alright, he's taller. And he's handsome. He has the most perfect boyish face I've ever seen. And to be honest, I have never seen anyone as attractive as him. His figure beneath the suit that hides it must be hot, judging by the built of it. His sandy blonde hair looks almost silky, though they are most of the time, ruffled and messy. Well he can blame himself for that- he likes to run his hand through his hair very often. He has the most brilliant green eyes I've ever came across and his nose is perfectly shaped to fit his face. Not to mention, he has the most kissable lips I've ever seen. But, everything out of that mouth in words can only be described in one word.

Infuriating.

"Ah well, maybe I won't. Since I have you to thank for that the directors liked my out-of-nowhere-last-minute-though-of proposal," he leaned a little closer to me that now our faces are inches apart.

I suddenly feel really hot.

"Well, of course. My brilliant brains paved way for your success. I'm sure that was better than the original cliché one we, or rather, you, came up with."

"You couldn't think of anything better, then, you said."

"Oh? Try me again. With more time and energy I would have."

"With your brilliant brains?"

I smiled proudly, "yes."

He smirked and leaned a little closer. "More like brilliant dried drool that everyone saw when you smiled and thought my proposal must be hell of a delicious."

Drool?! I rubbed the side of my lips and felt something like dried glue sticking on my face- oh no. Oh my gosh. He's right.

He laughed and nudged me sideways gently, before passing me and walking away.

What a jerk! Why didn't he tell me earlier! Fine, jerk wins!

* * *

Sometimes, I wished I could just throw my cell phone away, especially every time it rings and I look at the caller id and see my real boss's name. Meioh Setsuna. Sometimes, I wonder if she had a CCTV or 

some camera installed, or maybe a detector specially for me installed in the posh toilets of Mentos Inc. building. My cell phone rings almost every time I enter one of the posh bathrooms in the office.

"Hello old virgin"

"Shut up Michiru, you're no better. And stop using that...vulgar name of me."

"It's your code name, boss."

"Choose a better one!"

"Well, we need to get through the paper work, get approval from the Defense Minister, then let it process for a few weeks at the admin-"

"I get it, I get it!"

I giggled. I loved it when I get my boss all mad with my teasing. Well, her weakness is pretty well mine as well- no wait, minus the age difference and wrinkles. Her forehead crumples a little when she frowns, and I'm proud to admit mine doesn't, though I never said it aloud before. Maybe one day I should point it out and annoy her.

"Anyways, the point of me calling is to tell you we got an informant on the drug funding activities. Seems like a transaction is going to take place soon between Mentos Inc. and some gang called Decaymakers. They are going to using large amount of Mentos candy as a cover for the drugs. The informant is apparently an employee at Mentos Inc. Now, I want you find the informant and/or confirm reliability of the information before we take action. The information was given to us via an unknown email address that we traced to the Mentos Inc. to be the source of it."

"What leads do I have?"

"The guy's crafty, only leaving the exact information of the transaction but no source or evidence. He or she had e time, date venue, even who's involved in the transaction and the estimated amount of guards that will be stationed."

"Military genius?"

"I guess so, or an analyst expert. And this person must have either dug the information out with his bare hands from one of those involved, or have excess to the database so deep into the system of Mentos Inc. that he could deduce all of these out. I think the former is not possible in reality, so it's the latter."

"But why would anybody do that? For us?"

"Beats me. But we'll worry about that later. For now, just confirm the reliability of it. You do not have permission to engage anybody else unless for self defense. So you would have to snoop around. But you are allowed to beat the crap out the informant for information."

I sighed. "How much time do I have?"

"24 hours."

"Roger, old virgin."

"Shut up, bluetooth."

I hung up immediately.

I know, I have the worst codename in the century. It's not my fault, really. I just had a bad hair day and bad luck then. Well, my friend and colleague, Aino Minako, wanted to send me a song that she sang. Her own rendition of Utada Hikaru's First Love, actually. She had it in her cell phone and was mouthing the words to me that she wanted me to hear the song and tell her what I think about it. Since it's convenient and free, I wanted her to send it to me using Bluetooth. I have no idea how many times I mouthed the word Bluetooth before I got fed up.

"_Bluetooth, Minako!"_

"_Bluetooth?" Chiba Mamoru, my boss's boss, or rather the chief my headquarters, repeated._

"_Bluetooth?" I repeated in confusion._

"_Bluetooth!" Meioh Setsuna laughed at it._

"_Huh?"_

"_Alright, Kaioh-san. Bluetooth is your codename." Chiba Mamoru said with finality_

"_What?!" And there here goes my dream of having a nice codename._

But back to work. I checked around the washroom if anyone overhead my conversation. Negative. I finish my final touches of my make up and walked out of the washroom. First thing to do, check the company database on who has military intel. But that probably won't work, though it's worth a mention. I know I would surely get caught trying to access employees' database at unholy hours. Then next, for the real deal: snooping around the accounts of the Mentos Inc. If anybody can have information at this level of detail, it's surely one of the accountants. Finally, some drama and action after my first week at Mentos Inc. as a police spy. I'm an agent working under Chiba Mamoru and Meioh Setsuna for the Special Police Operations. Get ready for a drug bust by Kaioh Michiru codename, Bluetooth! Ah well, soon. But this only means I have to work after the normal office hours. Technically, I secretly have two jobs now. Goodness. And besides, both are really stressful. My day 'job' I have to take care not getting picked on constantly by the irritating Tenoh and at night, I have to-

"Ouch!"

I banged onto somebody with a strong built and we both fell on the floor. Guess I haven't been looking at where I was – oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. MY GUN! My hidden gun inside my stockings strapped to my thigh covered by my knee length working skirt actually dropped out in the collision and slided on the floor!

"Ah…" A male voice. Not very deep, but pleasant sounding.

Oh shit. I scrambled to crawl to where my gun was but unfortunately, he saw.

"Gun?" he asked.

I scrambled even more and managed to reach it before he could do anything else. I looked around. Luckily, there was nobody else around in the area. I quickly stood up and checked the corners. All clear. The guy I ran into was still sitting on the floor, though now looking at me in shock and confusion. In a sudden movement, I grabbed him by the collar and dragged him up and into the female bathroom and closed the door. He didn't resist my actions, but he didn't seem like he was scared, too.

"Standard procedure, I'm sorry," I said and pointed my gun straight at his nose.

"Wha-"

"What's your name?"

"Ya-Yano Ethan." His voice is strangely calm.

"Where do you live?"

"Who are you, espionage or something?"

"Where do you live?" I repeated, with a firm voice.

"Juuban Heights, unit 13C" Near my place.

"Alright sir," I took out my police crest badge and showed it to him, "I'm from the police. What you have just seen is totally an accident. But I need to keep it secret, so I would have to ask that you-"

"You're a Narcotics Agent?"

"Excuse me?" How did he guess I'm here because of drug dealings?

He chuckled, "you're not the first."

"You've seen others?"

"Yeah, the previous one Kino Makoto-san, isn't it?"

"H-How…?" Makoto-san actually got exposed?!

He put a finger to his lips. "Your secret is safe with me. If you don't believe, you can call her up to ask."

I look at him. He has a nice boyish yet mature face, with a little stubble all over. His brown hair is kind of a little curly and not too long, but not too short. It curled just nice like Superman's hair does. His eyes were dirty blue, like it's seen a lot already though he looks young. Around 23? And he is wearing…a janitor uniform?

"How can I trust you?" I doubt him. A janitor? He has the looks of a refined gentleman, and the way he articulates his words is too clear and precise to be just merely a janitor.

"I know your superiors are by the name of Meioh Setsuna and Chiba Mamoru. And you…you're the next person assigned…I think Makoto said you were Kaioh Michiru?"

I am utterly shocked. Makoto-san trusted this guy so much to divulge so much information to him? What if he's involved in-

"You're gonna look for the drug dealing involvement of this company, right?"

He knows! I nodded wildly.

He smiled a kind friendly smile. I noted, it looked nothing like Tenoh's smiles, that seemed almost void of emotions. "Trust me now?" he asked. I'm beginning to like his voice.

"Seems like I don't have a choice…"

He laughed at my response and pointed at my gun. I felt my cheeks blush as I kept my gun away. All the time we had the conversation I was holding my gun towards him. Better still, my finger at the trigger. But at least, it's nice to know somebody actually knows who I am, though I have to be careful, for now.

* * *

Ah well, here I am again. Alright, this is an entirely new story by me. A few things...

**Disclaimer : I own nothing but the plot. I don't own Sailormoon, neither do i own the name 'Mentos' (I bloody love that sweet!). The whole story is fictitious and I'm not getting any money for it. Any relevance to actual living persons or events is entirely coincidental.**

Well, this is the prologue of the story. Yes, Michiru is a secret police agent here. Haruka is not a male here, just that Michiru doesn't know he's actually a she yet. Michiru might look a little out of character here, but bear with me, she will get in character the next. We're riding with her thoughts for this chapter, so yeah, who knows what thoughts go through the real Michiru from Sailor Moon lol. Only for this prologue, is Michiru's POV. For the subsequent ones, it will be third person perspective, but ah, you'll see then how i jump around thoughts x) All senshis will make an appearance. And this story is completely AU. Pairings...well, let's keep a suspense, shall we? Though don't worry, it's definitely Haruka and Michiru. Though i would like to keep the others a secret.

I don't have a beta for this story (cos my favourite author/beta (Vanessa Riverton) is thoroughly overworked, i should give her a break :P) so yeah, pardon my silly typos and grammar mistakes.

Please tell me what you think about this, and if i should continue it! Please!! I already got chapter 1 (and it's longer than this chapter) written out! But thought i should get some feedback on it first... So yeah, please tell me what you think about it!

-impersonal


	2. Chapter 1

As promised, quick update!

**Disclaimer : I own nothing but the plot. I don't own Sailormoon, neither do i own the name 'Mentos' (I bloody love that sweet!). The whole story is fictitious and I'm not getting any money for it. Any relevance to actual living persons or events is entirely coincidental.**

* * *

The whole day Tenoh tortured Michiru with piles and piles of unending work. Not that Michiru minded, since she wanted to work overtime on purpose anyways. But what was infuriating about Tenoh was actually the work he gave her.

"_Kaioh-san"_

_Michiru looked up from her stack of work at 2 in the afternoon. Tenoh apparently brought two very, very big stacks of files, and put it on her already messy desk. Michiru stole a glance at the file headers: History of Mentos sales in one stack over a 20 years record; Marketing history in the other big stack over the last 20 years. _

"_Reading the headers? Smart girl. Give me a report of the sales figure against the marketing style for the past 20 years and an analysis of the data before you go home today."_

"_What?!" Michiru exclaimed._

_Tenoh cocked his head in an arrogant manner. Michiru swore if she had a file in her hand she would have thrown it at the cocky face. "Got a problem?" Michiru hate that husky and low, yet arrogant and annoying voice._

_He smiled that all charming smile that Michiru knew, melted all the other girls' hearts, but not hers. It only boiled her blood. "No," Michiru returned an equally fake smile._

_He turned to leave, but then stopped halfway and turn back to face Michiru again. Michiru could have swore she saw a glint in his green eyes. "Type all the data into an excel spreadsheet too…I like it all easy for me to find," and with that, he walked away back into his own room._

_So much data entry! The nerves of a devil he has!! Michiru got so angry she let out a frustrated groan that sounded like "RAAWWWRRRR" after she heard Tenoh's door clicked close. Her department, consisting of about ten other coworkers, stopped and stared. _

Now, five thirty in the evening, which actually is the knock off time, Michiru hasn't even gotten all her work half done yet. Tenoh was lucky today she had an assignment which required her to snoop around after dark, or else, Tenoh's face might be punched in by now. Sighing loudly, Michiru returned to her constant typing of the computer. She had to wait until the office is almost cleared before she could begin her assignment. That would probably take a few more hours. Besides, the day's still bright. Scanning through two big stacks worth of files containing 20 years of figures and statistics was tiring…if only they were paintings or musical notes that were meant to be played on a violin. Michiru sighed heavily. Five thirty-five now, or so the clock on her computer says. Michiru balanced her elbow on the table and held her hand up, preparing to wave.

"Bye Kaioh-san! See you tomorrow!"

Michiru smiled blindly and waved. She counts, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten. Yes! The department is emp- no, no, no wait. Yes, for a start she is alone at the department room now. 

But behind that closed door nearby lies the real threat to her assignment. Well, Michiru did noted that her marketing manager has a habit of working over time, although how long she does not know, since she usually return home earlier than her manager does. However, with the assignment today, Michiru better check up on what time possibly the blonde would leave. So Michiru stood up from her desk and walk to her superior's door. A double knock ensued and Michiru opened the door to peep into it.

She finds brilliant green eyes look at her in surprise. "You're done with the report already?"

"No, I just wanted t ask if you want coffee," and Michiru's eyes trailed around the blonde's office.

"That's rare, but no thanks, I'm afraid you might poison me."

"Why yo- I was just concern about how late you're gonna be working until."

"Very late, thank you."

This blonde, is an ungrateful brat.

Michiru put on her fakest smile again and snapped the door shut, on purpose, quite loudly. Outside, Michiru paced around, even though she's aware through the glass walls of Tenoh's office the blonde was looking at her. If she was gone for an extended period of time, the blonde would surely question her whereabouts. Maybe she should wait for the blonde to go first. But, what if the blonde decides he wants to stay with her until they go home together? Precautionary measure? Then Michiru contemplates knocking Tenoh out cold, do her thing, then be a helpful employee and bring him to the nearby clinic, lying he fainted all of a sudden. But what if Tenoh himself is martial arts expert too? Michiru would be the one knocked out cold…no wait. Old virgin said something about not having permission to engage anyone.

Michiru had her hands in her blue aqua locks and she brush it sideways, letting the hair go up and fall in a dramatic way. If only Tenoh would disappear in front of her face! Sighing in frustration, she decided to take a walk around the building, scout around, get a drink, and return to wait to pounce once Tenoh is gone. So she took her purse from her desk, sending Tenoh a discreet glare and walked out of the department.

Unbeknownst to her, Tenoh made a phone call right after seeing her walk out.

* * *

"Kaioh-san?"

Michiru looked up from her far off stare down onto the metropolitan city of Tokyo from the rooftop of Mentos Inc. building. Dirty blue eyes and young boyish face. Yano Ethan.

"Hey." Michiru gave a smile. Unlike Tenoh, Yano sure is a better mannered guy. And he knows her little secret.

"Not going home? It's Friday." But his voice isn't husky and deep, thought Michiru.

"Nah, got a lot of work to do."

"Oh…I heard from Ami-san; Haruka sure tortured you today?"

Michiru blood boiled at the thought of the blonde. Of all days, the blonde chose today to throw Mihciru with a lot of work, and even had to do data entry at its peak. Damn blondie. "Yeah, well we practically hate each other's guts since the first day I met him- wait, Haruka? Tenoh Haruka?"

"Hm?"

Michiru looked at Ethan in disbelief. "You're his friend?"

"His?" Ethan chuckled a little before nodding and answering, "yeah."

"That's a surprise," it never occurred to Michiru the blonde was capable of making any friends at work, "never thought he was friendly to anyone, only the occasional flirt with girls and casual conversation with others."

"Well, h-he's a nice guy, really." Ethan spoke, and Michiru caught the stumbling over the pronoun, though she chose to ignore that slip, but it happened again and Michiru can't help but note it. "What happened between you two anyways? Surely you can't be serious hating h-him?"

"I'm serious…and don't call me Shirley." Michiru smiled and looked thoughtful as Ethan chuckled at the bad joke, before she continued "Well, we started off on a bad note. Really, bad note."

"How bad?"

"Do you believe in just the first day we met I scolded him, stepped on his foot, and slapped him? Which was actually, Monday."

"Mind elaborating?"

Michiru sighed, as she began her flashback.

_Michiru sighed as she finished her purchase of coffee from this roadside store beside a busy road that is flanked by endless of tall office buildings. She was walking to her new 'workplace' where her new assignment takes place, which is actually spying on Mentos Inc. and their rumored drug dealings. The case of Mentos Inc. had been dragged on forever to no end, and finally they decided to put an end to it by putting the Special Police Operations in charge instead of just the narcotics. So it became a joint operation and Michiru was chosen. Though it's a little dumb down in danger for Michiru, she couldn't complain. At least it was a break from all the high end drama of counter terrorists activities and boring yet dangerous bodyguard work. She didn't do spy jobs often. And she jumped on this- _

_She caught a figure walking at the corner of her eye. _

_Makoto-san! Michiru's heartbeat quickened. Kino Makoto was her idol. That woman was the elite of the elite of the police force, she's not proud at all, and Michiru hears she even cooks well, sews well, treats people well. Makoto was her mentor when Michiru joined the police force fresh out of selection, before Michiru moved on to be mentored by Setsuna herself. And the reason Michiru would be going to spy on Mentos Inc. is also because Makoto was dropped out of the mission for unknown reasons. No matter what, seeing Makoto on the streets is rare. Michiru had to make use of this opportunity to say hi to her old friend._

_Quickening her pace, she balanced all her coffee on one hand and her handbag in the other as she maneuvered her way through the crowd when someone brushed past her quite violently. Michiru, stunned for a few seconds, blinked her eyes only to find brilliant green ones staring directly at her. _

"_Sorry miss, but did you see a man with silver hair run past just now?"_

_Michiru shook her head, though her deep blue eyes were locked in gaze with the brilliant green ones. Unknowingly, Michiru blushed a little under this man's gaze._

"_Thanks anyways." _

_The man bowed and Michiru noticed he had sandy blonde hair that just suited the color of his eyes perfectly. His built was just perfect for…perfect? He was wearing a suit which is a black overcoat over a white shirt that was not tied by a tie which revealed his neck and collarbone, coupled with black pants that seemed to be loose for fitting at the same time. Michiru tried to shrug the thought out. His face was really good looking. He looks like he walked out of the comic books and into real life. _

"_Wait!" Michiru's hand reached out to hold him back by the shoulder. Ah reflex, Michiru had no idea why she reached out to hold him back._

_The man did stop and turn around, and then tilted his head in questioning._

"_R-Running? I-I think somebody brushed past me just now in a hurry to the north of me."_

"_Then why did you say no just now?"_

"_Eh? I…"_

"_Or you just want to look at me?" He sounded irritated at Michiru._

"_Eh?" Now, Michiru thought that was outright cocky. "You're pretty arrogant about your looks aren't you?" _

"_You just caused me to lose chase of a person, miss." He said that without looking at Michiru now. This angered Michiru more._

"_Sir, I don't think I caused you to but rather you stopped to ask me then I tried, well I really tried to help you and hmmhmm! Hmm!! Aaammm!!"_

_Michiru was stopped halfway in her words as her arms flail about. The blonde had his hands over her mouth with an irritated look on his face, while he stared off into the distance. Michiru noted, he looked disturbed and concentrating. Bastard! Michiru scowled at him and bit his fingers, stepped on his foot which made him release his hands over Michiru's mouth and ran away. Michiru turned back to steal one last glance at the blonde, but she ended up getting annoyed even more. The blonde didn't even look at her! His eyes were fixed on a far off figure._

_Later, when she arrived at the office, she was orientated by Mizuno Ami, who was in charge of bringing new comers for a short trip round the company to make acquaintances. She was a soft and quiet girl, whom Michiru would describe as shy and timid. She looks kind of cute too, with her short blue hair and petite facial features and a constant shy smile. Mizuno Ami took her all round the area, especially the floor where Michiru will be working as a marketing assistant. She finally showed Michiru where the bathroom of the floor's toilet was._

"_Well, the bathroom at this floor is kind of desolated. I have no idea why too, but seems like employees of this floor would rather use other floors ones than this. Rumour has it that it is haunted or something." Ami's shy voice spoke._

_Michiru smiled and teased, "Are you?"_

_Ami blushed! How cute, thought Michiru. "Well, I…follow them too."_

_Michiru took hold of Ami's elbows and pulled her gently into the toilet, which did protest slightly against, but allowed Michiru to drag her in. _

"_See! Mizuno-san! There's nothing to be afraid of!" Mchiru declared proudly._

"_Well, Kaioh-san, I-"_

"_Call me Michiru, please."_

"_Michiru-san, call me Ami then."_

_Since Ami looked a tad bit younger, Michiru repeated, "Ami-chan."_

"_I-"_

_And out of the corner of Michiru's eye, she spotted a blonde haired person dressed in a man's suit enter the toilet. A female toilet. And the suit looked awful familiar. Both Ami and Michiru stared at the approaching figure. While Ami sighed in relief after a few seconds, Michiru was frantic. Pervert! No wonder the girls refused to come into this washroom!_

"_Ami-chan, don't worry, I will get rid of this pervert!"_

"_No, Michiru-san, wait-" In a swift motion, Michiru dashed in front of the blonde and had her hand pushing the face of the blonde in. In reflex, the blonde grabbed the hand but before he could do anything, Michiru shove it out of the toilet door and her free hand proceeded to slap the face of the _

_blonde, really hard. Oddly, the blonde did retract back at the blow but his face didn't wince in pain, rather, he just put on a face of shock. _

"_What-"_

"_You pervert, you deserve this! No wonder the female workers in this company don't are to come to this toilet, it's all your fault!" Michiru lashed out at the blonde, who was holding his face trying to shake out the un-comfortable feeling in it._

_And then it dawned on Michiru._

"_YOU!" both of them said in unison._

_Michiru felt Ami came up from behind her. "Haruka-san! Are you okay?"_

_The Haruka looked at her and gave a small grin, but changed his facial expression faster than the speed of light to scowl at Michiru. Michiru held on her glare at him._

"_Michiru-san, this is Tenoh Haruka-san, who actually is-"_

"_Kaioh Michiru?" The blonde interrupted Ami, which make Michiru even more irritated of him._

"_Yes, and you have no manners, blondie. For one, you shouldn't cut somebody off while they are talking and two, you're a guy, why in the earth are you walking into the female bathroom? Three, I do not like the way you treated me this morning."_

"_Michiru-san, Haruka-san is actually-"_

"_I walked into the wrong bathroom, alright? I'm only here two weeks before you are. And for your information, I'm not blondie, I'm your new boss, marketing assistant Kaioh Michiru."_

_Michiru gaped._

"Well, that was basically what happened in the first day…" Michiru sighed as she recalled. Her impression of the blonde was already negative, and it just continued going downhill after that. Although she was pretty sure it was the same for the blonde to her.

Ethan was laughing all the way since Michiru started her flashback. Well, come to think of it, it was pretty funny now that she recalls it. Michiru giggled along with Ethan as well. There was something about Ethan that made her feel kind of relaxed. "Well, Kaioh-san, if I'm you I would've done the same thing."

"But you look like a nice guy…"

"Well, I would've punched his face, actually. You're nicer than me" and Ethan gave a sheepish smile.

Michiru thought it looked quite adorable. "Ah well, I'm nice to people who deserve it…and Tenoh absolutely don't deserve it."

"You're not interested in h-him?"

Michiru looked bewildered as she said in utter disbelief, "No! Why would I like a bastard?"

"Well, he sure is good looking. You're the only girl so far who hasn't tried anything on him yet, at his short time here at this company."

Michiru hesitated a while. She didn't know if it as the right time to say, though she really had begin trusting Ethan. "I'm…not exactly into guys."

"You're homosexual…good news for Haruka," Ethan chuckled.

"He hates me that much?" Michiru frowned.

Ethan laughed even more. Michiru frown deepened in confusion. What did Ethan mean by laughing? The chilly wind blew by and made Michiru shiver a little. It gets a little chilly in the evening as the sun starts to set in the summer nights…it was summers time in Tokyo, though Michiru is not exactly enjoying her summer with such a horrible assignment on hand. Wait, chilly wind in the evening? The sun is setting? Michiru looked at her watch. Goodness! She's been talking to Ethan for the past half an hour already!

Michiru stood up abruptly, earning a confused look from Ethan. "Tenoh's gonna start questioning me! I better am going back!"

Ethan laughed, "Haruka really freaks you out?"

Michiru shook her head as she begin walking away. "Tenoh is a…slave driver."

"Can't say I disagree with you!" Ethan called out after her, half laughing.

Michiru had an interesting opinion on Haruka, or so thought Ethan.

* * *

"I think I see Michiru-san coming back, Haruka-san."

"Thanks, Ami-san."

And Haruka heard the lift's bell ring. Immediately, she rested her head on her elbows on her desk and closed her eyes, pretend to be asleep. Pretend, that is. She could hear Michiru walk in and open her door.

"Tenoh-san sorry but I-"

Michiru raised her eyebrows. Now that's rare- catching Tenoh Haruka skiving on his job. She walked towards the blonde to inspect this…sleeping form. Although there was something odd about him sleeping, Michiru couldn't exactly point out what was odd. Now standing less than a metre away from 

the blonde…Michiru noted how the blonde looked really peaceful as e slept. His hair fell just in place as his eyes were closed. His breathing is steady and calm…and argh, that hair of his. The sandy blonde strands look so silky that Michiru was sure it would feel damn good to run her fingers through them. She wasn't sure if she could self restraining anymore. Her fingers reached out…oh no Michiru, wait. Sleeping Tenoh? Means her couldn't keep an eye on her, means he won't have a good reason to question her actions, means she was free to do as she please without worrying, means it's party time!

But his hair…

But luckily Michiru let common sense and rationality get better of her. She quickly exited the room as quietly as possible, piled up the files on her table to create a false image that he was buried in the midst of all the files, and left the place for the accounts department.

Tenoh Haruka opened one of her eyes and stared through the glass walls his 'subordinate' leaving the department walls.

Ami is right, she was Makoto's replacement. So…Makoto is really dropped.

Sighing, Haruka picked up the phone on her desk.

"Hello?"

"Ami-san? Haruka here."

"Haruka-san! Michiru-san just-"

"I know, seems like it's confirmed. Block the access points of each computer terminal so Kaioh-san gets nothing about our data. If she can still check out that we, or rather, I was the informant, she'll have my respects. But I doubt she can."

"Roger."

"It's time to test our new play thing."

* * *

The accounts department at the twentieth floor of Mentos Inc. is kind of shrouded in secrecy. They actually had a door to their department that was actually locked and a camera overlooking the door for security. First, the camera. Michiru avoided being captured on the security television by hugging the walls as she side stepped her way to be below the camera directly. Taking out her stun gun(which paralyzes people with a shock of electricity at close range), she press the trigger as the she jumped and made contact with the camera using the stun gun. The electricity was just nice to make the camera go into a short circuit, and hence, spoiling. Then, she pulled a paper clip from her pocket in whch she started to pick the lock of the accounts department door. Once inside, her real work began.

She picked the computer at the farthest end of the room and switched it on. She whipped out her cell phone and dialed Setsuna's number.

"Bluetooth?"

"Yes old virgin, I'm inside the accounts department accessing the computer now," Michiru pulled out a thumb drive that was actually a decoder programme from her skirt pocket and inserted it into the USB port of the computer.

"Good, now I want you to look out for any huge amount of spending this week on miscellaneous, and if you found it was classified oddly."

Michiru scrolled and clicked around until she found the history of the accounts of Mentos Inc. for the past week. "Standby…Standby…" she said as she clicked around until she reached the miscellaneous fee. Now that's weird. Why would a candy company spend so much on fitness programme? "Found something, old virgin."

"What is it?" Setsuna sounded a little excited, Michiru noted.

"Found Mentos Inc. had funded a fitness programme which a big budget."

"Ah, perfect, anything else?"

"Standby…" Michiru clicked around, but she noted another weird thing. Why did Mentos Inc give such a huge medical benefit to a security guard, whose name she recognized to be the security guard working at near the reception? Michiru clicked to the spending budget.

"Got it, a 30 percent increase in sugar spending. Most probably for the sugar coating covering the drug inside the candies."

"But most of it is based on our own deductions…Do you have any concrete information on the transaction?"

Michiru clicked around. "No madam, but… I might be able to find."

* * *

"It's weird, Haruka-san."

Haruka frowned as her fingers twiddled around the telephone cord wire of her office phone on her desk.

"Michiru-san is not accessing anything top secret, and neither is she trying to access the employees database."

Has that agent found something? Haruka's frown deepened as she contemplated the possibility of Kaioh Michiru getting ahead of them. It can't be possible. Ami has got the top levels of the system inside out. If Kaioh wanted to confirm the reliability of the information, Kaioh has to get past Ami. "Can you track her access?"

"Negative. No one is trying to break in even the medium level of information. There are lots of people accessing the simplest of the information from the lower security database. Since Michiru-san is not at her desk, it's impossible to track unless we go around each computer checking who was on which computer doing what."

This Kaioh Michiru, is crafty.

* * *

Michiru looked at her skirt in sadness. It's Guess brand! It cost a precious few hundred bucks!

Dang it.

She tore the slid of her skirt a little more, to reveal more of her leg (or rather, thigh) and messed up her hair a little to look a little wild, while she unbuttoned the another button of her working shirt. She walked towards the security guard post. She swore the security guard's eye almost popped out of his circuit when he saw her and her sexy slid skirt.

"Y-y-you are?" Michiru smiled in success.

"I'm a little afraid but I dropped my keys somewhere behind the drain…"

Straight away, she saw the glint of macho in his eyes as he puffed his chest a little. "No problem! I'll accompany you to find it!"

Positive ID confirmed. This man is the man with big medical benefit just this week. Michiru gave another sexy smile and walked out of the main door of Mentos Inc. and then bend into the alley corner in the dark where there was a large drain.

"Oh…beauty. Don't be afraid, I'll help you…" the man purred. His voice getting utterly disgusting to Michiru.

"Oh wait…" as soon as she bend into the corner of a dead end at a totally dark place.

"Eh?" and a blow landed on his face.

"Wha-Oopf!" Michiru hit him on the stomach, hard.

Then Michiru pushed him against the wall and held his collar staring up onto him, though he as taller Michiru was now totally in a dominant position. "Tell me, why were you bribed?"

"I'm not cough I'm not-"

Michiru dragged him back a little, then with a sudden movement, slammed his head and back against the wall.

"Tell me." Michiru's voice was calm yet menacing. It didn't hissed, but it didn't sound friendly at all.

The man's brown eyes now became a colour of light brown in fear, as his eyes widened, shock at how Michiru overpowered him easily. "I-I-I overheard…Smith-sama and Kou Taiki-sama talking about a drug transaction…"

Kou Taiki? Who was that? Smith-sama, must be Wayne Smith, one of the board of directors of Mentos Inc. which Michiru had the privileged to do a presentation to earlier in the morning with Tenoh.

"Who bribed you?"

"Kou Seiya…"

Kou. This surname is oddly familiar.

"When and where the drug transaction will take place?"

"N-Near Juuban lake, tomorrow night. T-T-There's going to be l-l-lots of guards stationed all around-d…"

He isn't the informant Setsuna was talking about, Michiru was sure. Then who else? But he sure knew about this.

"We've got a long night ahead of us." Michiru finished off and knocked him out, cold, to drag him back to the police station with some help.

* * *

"No sign of Michiru-san anywhere in the building, Haruka-san."

Haruka frowned. For the past two weeks when Makoto was in charge of spying here at Mentos Inc., Makoto was so easily predictable. Haruka exactly knew where and when Makoto was snooping around, and what Makoto was looking for. Haruka could help Makoto out when the times and situations permitted. This time, she was trying to test Michiru out, but Michiru turned out to be more than what she expected. When she first came three weeks ago and tested Makoto's abilities, she was thoroughly disappointed. Makoto was no fun, because she went too accordingly to the book, like a FNG. But Makoto was nice. At least, much nicer to Haruka than Michiru was to Haruka. Too bad though, that, had to happen and Makoto had to be dropped.

"Michiru-san spotted entering the building from the front door, Haruka-san."

She's back, but from where? "Do you think there's a remote possibility, that Kaioh-san didn't do her job at all the whole time?"

Haruka noted Ami's slight pause, "I think there is, I can't see how she did her job."

It's been over an hour since Haruka faked her sleeping to get Michiru to take the bait for the test. "I'll check her out, Ami-san. Over and out."

The lift rang its bell after 5 minutes and Haruka stared at the emerging form from the lift door from her glass walls. Michiru seemed to have caught her stare and returned the gaze. Momentarily, deep blue eyes locked with brilliant green ones, but the gaze soon broke when Haruka frowned and tilted her head. Michiru's skirt look a little torn, and her hair, a little ruffled. Did something happen? Haruka felt a foreign feeling overcame her. How can she describe the feeling…a little anxious? Haruka stood up and got out of her room to enquire about Michiru.

"Kaioh-san, are you…alright?"

Michiru looked at her with a questioning expression, and their gaze locked for a while again, before Michiru laughed slightly. No, Haruka reclassified that action as giggle. For some reason, that giggle sounded nice. Wait, it's probably the first time she had ever heard this aqua haired girl laugh. "I'm fine Tenoh-san…but my skirt got caught by a fire extinguished just now."

"Oh," Haruka turned around to her back facing Michiru, "I was just…" and her voice trailed off. Haruka couldn't believe it. She was actually concerned about Michiru?

"Concerned?"Michiru teased.

Haruka felt her face flushed. What the hell? What was this feeling?

"Never thought you might worry for me, but thanks anyways, iceman."

Haruka nodded and walked back into her own room, closed the door, not turning back to see Michiru. Worry? She worried about somebody? Now, that's a long…forgotten emotion.

* * *

Michiru stared at her 'boss' at Mentos Inc. through her boss's room glass walls. For some reason, the blonde had been staring out of space for quite some time after she came out to ask about Michiru. Shrugging, Michiru flipped her cell phone out and dialed her boss's number.

"Old virgin?"

"Yes, Bluetooth? Good work, by the way, bringing that witness back."

"Thank you. How's the-"

"MICHIRU!!" a loud squealing voice from the other line.

"Aino-san that was uncalled for to steal the phone from me and-"

"I can't wait to see you tomorrow! I painted a new set of manicure and I want to show you and I just got a new haircut and a new bow for my hair and-"

"Aino-san give me-"

"Come and get it from me!"

Michiru sighed as her friend, Aino Minako, who is also colleague working at the police department in the same squadron as she is on the Mentos Inc. drug dealing case, fought with her superior over her superior's cell phone. It is so typical of Minako to do that. Michiru held her own cell phone to her ear as she hears the cell phone the other side embroiled in a throwing and snatching fight. To think that they are actually adults involve in the elite police force.

Click.

Michiru took the cell phone off her ear and stared at it in disbelief. Those two are really having the time of their lives, aren't they? Shortly, her cell phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"Michiru-san?"

"Ara. Those two are still playing tag?"

Michiru heard Mamoru chuckle, "Well, you're right."

Michiru giggled.

"By the way, good job, Michiru-san, though you haven't got hold of the real informant. At least now we know the information is reliable and we can go ahead with the ambush."

"So the operation is a go-ahead?"

"Yeah. Be back at the station by 1800 hours tomorrow to get ready for deployment. The operation will commence at 2000 hours."

"Roger."

"Have a good night, Michiru-san."

So, it's action tomorrow for Michiru. Michiru sighed as she finally packed her things away to get ready to go home and rest, when a thought suddenly dawned on her. Tenoh said something about the report being done today?! She quickly stole a worried glance at the blonde in his office. Oh shit. She was so caught up in her assignment she totally forgot about the report. Maybe she could sneak out of the company and go home without Tenoh noticing. Anyways, her assignment here would be over by tomorrow is the operation was successful in capturing somebody.

Michiru quickly packed, turned her computer off, and stood up. She slung her bag over her shoulder and was about to take her first quiet step, when she was caught.

"Going somewhere without doing your work?"

Ugh! That arrogant husky voice again. Michiru turn to face a slightly smirking Tenoh with a very proud look on his face. He had his hands stuck in his pants pocket and he leaned against the frame of his office glass door.

"Well…"

"Giggle again, and I will let you off for today."

"Excuse me?"

Michiru noted he frowned slightly then repeated his request in the same tone and voice, "giggle again, and I will let you off for today."

"Giggle?" Michiru stared at the blonde in disbelief. Why on earth did he put forth such a weird request?

He nodded, though now he seemed like a shy little boy with his slightly bowed and facing down.

Michiru was bewildered.

After a moment of silence, the blonde pushed himself off the door frame and looked up. Now, his brilliant green eyes kind of looked distraught that Michiru didn't giggle. He fidgeted around and made a face of shy embarrassment that Michiru found highly adorable. And his mouth, seemingly trying to say something or maybe really beg Michiru to giggle or something but nothing came out of it. Now, that was really cute of him.

Michiru giggled.

Oops, she covered her mouth.

But Tenoh broke out onto a big smile, and went back into his room.

And Michiru went back to her bewildered stare, although her legs were now moving and taking her out of the office.

* * *

Somewhere in a small unknown island southern of Japan in the middle of the night, as the waves crashed fiercely on the beach and lightning could be seen flashing across the cloudy skies above the sea, Kou Yaten was watching his underlings board the ships that would take them to Tokyo under the guise of a refugee ship. Weapons of all kind had been packed in boxes and concealed in the base of the boat. They had to move out quick and soon.

"Go, go, go!!" Yaten hurried all of the men.

The pace of the sounds of feet scuffling can be heard to be increasing even against the noisy background of the roars of the night sea.

"We have to get everybody on board before the storm, hurry!!"

Yaten's cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Yaten."

"Taiki?" Yaten's eldest brother, and comrade in arm.

"How are the preparations?"

"I'm moving them out to the mainland now."

"Good, make sure they won't be late for the transaction tomorrow night."

"I understand."

"Yaten…let's do this right. For our fathers, for our relatives."

Yaten kept silent.

"The money earned from the sale of drugs is going to be essential in maintaining our army…and for our ultimate objective."

"Father wouldn't like us dealing into drugs," Yaten said it almost like a whisper, a last gasp of hope that his brother would call this whole drug trafficking thing off.

"It's necessary. Or where do we get the money for the next operation?"

Yaten sighed. Taiki was right. Nuclear weapons did need a lot of money.

* * *

A/N: Alright, I guess it might be a bit confusing that i jumped around 3rd POVs, but you can use Haruka's gender and the way she is addressed in narration to guess whose thoughts am I referring to. Yes, Haruka's mystery identity, try guessing x)

Please leave a review and tell me what you think of it!


	3. Chapter 2

* * *

**Disclaimer : I own nothing but the plot. I don't own Sailormoon, neither do i own the name 'Mentos' (I bloody love that sweet!). The whole story is fictitious and I'm not getting any money for it. Any relevance to actual living persons or events is entirely coincidental. The song sung is 'Eyes on Me' by Faye Wong.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 2  
**

"Michiru! Next Shop, next shop!!"

Minako laughed excitedly as she pulled her best friend and police colleague to the next clothes boutique. Not that Michiru minded. It was about one in the Saturday afternoon and they were doing some shopping, or how Minako would term it, retail therapy for a really stressful job, before reporting for operations at 6 in the evening the same day.

"Look!" Minako held up a pink dress in a boutique. It was simple pink dress that had lacey straps and flayed cloth, but the slight flowery patterns made it quite unique.

Michiru inspected the dress, "Are you sure you like the cutting?"

Minako held it close to her body and took a step back to let Michiru see. Minako had long straight blonde hair that was held neatly in place by her bow, often a big red one or a big blue one. Well, depends on mighty Minako's mood that very day. She had an unusual sense of fashion that she likes to wear clothes a little…extraordinary. Like today, her apple patterned dress along with the big red bow on her head made her look very…teenager. Minako, by the way, is already a full blown adult at the age of 22, though her face might say otherwise.

"Hmmm, it'll make you look pregnant, you know."

Minako's eyes went wide, "Michiru! I have such a nice figure! How could you…"

Michiru giggled, "But the cutting really is off, though the price is cheap. How about trying this…" Michiru's hand flew around some hangers in the clothes display rack.

Sniffing sounds could be heard.

Michiru sighed; it's so typical if Minako to act sad at Michiru's comments on her body curves "Minako-chan, you don't have to mimick you're crying. You know full well your body shape is well toned and-"

No, wait, the sniffing is real.

Michiru stopped her hands and looked around. Minako was not even around in the vicinity. She was at least ten meters away rattling in another clothes rack picking out and putting back dresses.

Who…?

Michiru frowned as she adjusted her handbag and shopping bags to a more comfortable position as she looked around for the source of the sniffing. She traced it to the nearby changing room of this small boutique that has only a thick red curtain as the door or divider to the outside. Now, the sniffing sound was really loud and clear. Someone was crying in there. Michiru tried looking around for the shop owner, but apparently the boutique's owner is busy entertaining another female customer that was in the shop. The sniffing was really loud; and it went against Michiru's conscience to ignore it, though she's pretty sure if it was Tenoh who heard that he'd probably put on his usual blank and bored expression and walk away.

Wait, where did that thought come from?! Tenoh?! Goodness!

"Are you okay in there?" Michiru tried calling out.

A small gasp could be heard at the other side of the curtain and the sniffing momentarily stopped.

Michiru frowned again, "Hello?"

Silence.

Now Michiru's suspicious. For all she know she could have mistaken the sniffing for crying. It might be a glue sniffer in there. She glanced around and her eyes met Minako's bright blue ones. The blonde seem to have caught on to what Michiru was suspicious about. Minako put the clothes on her hand just on top on the clothes rack and took an empty hanger with her for weapon, just in case. Once Minako was side by side with Michiru in front of the changing room, they nodded to each other.

"Okay…breaching in 3, 2-"

"Breaching? You're obsessed with work," Minako teased, out of the blue.

Michiru rolled her eyes.

"Now."

Michiru whipped the curtain open in one hard push of the curtains to a side and Minako immediately readied a stance for-

A little child, crying.

Minako immediately got out of her mock kung fu stance and knelt down in front of the child, while Michiru just stood frozen in a little shock in front of the changing room. It's not because chosen to cry in the changing room of the small boutique that shocked Michiru, but what was on the child's limps. The child had his face (well, Michiru thought it's a boy since the child had short hair cut in a bowl shape, cute) buried in his knees and sniffing softly, shaking in the process. It was summer time, but Michiru knew the boy was cold. He had cuts and bruises all over his legs and arms.

"Goodness…" Minako whispered as her fingers reached out to stroke the boy's head.

The boy flinched at Minako's touch and now his face came up and he stared at Minako wildly, gasping.

"No no no, boy, I won't hurt you-"

Loud hoarse screams ensued and filled the whole boutique.

The sins of his parents. The boy now screamed like an animal that was trapped in the corner with no way to run, no way to fight. Soon, Michiru and Minako found themselves surrounded by the shop owner and few of the customers that were in the boutique at that time. Tears were pouring out the boy's eyes onto his dirtied and slightly bloodied face as he tried to creep into the corner of dressing room, as if a 

trap door of miracle would open for him to hide. Michiru could feel her facial expression soften considerably as she tried to reach out-

"Disgusting! Ugh!" A female proud arrogant voice sounded out. It sounded sensuous and sexy, but right now it was full of nothing but disdain for the boy.

"How did this vermin get into the shop? Or does your shop breeds vermin?" Now the proud woman, Michiru noticed, had wavy dark hair a figure and sexy face that females would kill for.

But her attitude reeks of shit.

"N-No, Beryl-sama! I have no idea where this boy came from!" Poor shopkeeper.

"Eww. I won't ever come here again, I gather," and that Beryl woman pinched her nose and fanned the air with her hands, as if the air in the boutique was contaminated by the poor little boy.

Michiru tried her best to ignore the bitch and concentrate on getting the little boy trust Minako and her.

"No no, please Beryl-sama, my shop has nothing to do with the boy. I do not even know he's here…" Michiru heard the shop keeper plead.

This Beryl woman must be her biggest customer all time. Michiru concentrated on getting the boy to look up at Minako and her as Minako whispered, "that bitch."

"I know."

The boy whimpered as Michiru's hands came in contact with his little mop head again, as if Michiru had hit it. But all Michiru did was gently touch the little boy's head. He didn't retaliate…but it also looks like he's too tired and in pain to. Michiru went bolder and stroke the little boy's head. Once, twice, thrice. The little boy stopped shivering now.

"Easy, little one…easy…"

More whimpering form the boy.

"Easy…we're here to help…" Minako joined in the cooing of the little boy.

"I'm not having any of this; this little street rat picked this store to hide because it's dirty and filthy. Vermins attract vermin's. That's it, I'm never coming again."

"Please Beryl-sama!! You use to love our services and our clothes and-"

Michiru had enough. She lifted her hand from the boy and shot a cold glare at the Beryl woman. "Lady, this poor is not a vermin and neither is this shop filthy. He needs help."

"Who are you to speak against my opinions? Huh?!" The lady, Michiru noted, was rich. There was a LV bag in one hand, a Rolex watch on her wrist, and diamond rings littered her petite fingers that looked 

clean from any sufferings. The woman in question was also proud, puffing her chest out and staring at Michiru's cold deep blue eyes with her own wide ones. Disgusting.

"A by stander watching you torture others, lady."

"WHAT?! TORTURE?!" her voice booms around the whole boutique now.

Michiru noted the shop keeper cowered in fear, but Michiru remain her stance and cold glare.

"I AM THE ONE TORTURE WITH ALL THESE…FILTH!"

"You have the filthiest mouth, lady."

Now the Beryl lady's eyes bulged and strained. Michiru could see her blood veins in her eyes becoming obvious in anger. "You will pay for this, bitch."

"You're the bitch around here," Minako said, not even bothering to turn and look at Beryl when she said that.

"YOU TWO!!" the woman's face turned purple.

Michiru had to try really hard to suppress not laughing at the woman.

"I WILL SUE YOU BOTH FOR SLANDER!"

"Oh, try us. I'll publicize to the whole world what happened here," Michiru gave a soft laugh, "Beryl embroiled in a quarrel over a physically abuse boy."

The woman's face turned even darker purple as she walked away in a huff while saying "I WLL REMEMBER THIS!"

The shopkeeper looked at Michiru and Minako now with sad eyes and sighed. Michiru dropped her cold glare and look at the shop keeper apologetically, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay; I'm tired of her anyways. But she's a huge customer…"

Minako now faced the shop keeper still in her kneeling position and smiled, "You'll have karma, don't worry."

The shop keeper tried a smile and then said, "I don't know…anyway about the boy, you can bring him to the nearby children welfare place down the street."

The boy stared at Michiru and Minako, shocked, as the two adults return his look their smiles.

"No worries, little one. We're here to help" Michiru in her gentlest voice with a smile.

"Michiru!!" Minako stared at her friend wide eyed.

Michiru returned a blur look to Minako.

"I thought that was a cut or some dry skin all day so I didn't want to say, but goodness, now I look closer and its dried drool!!"

Not again?! After yesterday with Tenoh, not again?! Michiru frantically felt the area around her mouth.

"Gotcha."

And Minako winked to the boy, who appeared more relaxed now.

* * *

"Wow, in all 22 years of my life I never stepped into a real child welfare before…only storm one down when it's taken over by kidnappers last year" Minako mused.

Michiru giggled and looked down at the little boy whose hand she is holding, whose eyes went wide. "Don't scare the child, Minako."

Michiru knelt down to the child's height, "Here we are little one. They'll take care of you here and fix your problems…hopefully."

The boy only looked at her. Though he stopped crying a few moments ago and was willing to walk with them, he still hasn't opened his mouth to speak yet. Michiru didn't want to force him to, while Minako just kept guessing until she got tired of it. Now, they were standing in front of the children's welfare home that the shopkeeper recommended they go. Enya Orphanage - a huge yellow and orange coloured building in the middle of a grassy area barricaded by white fence and greenery. Flowers like daisies and periwinkle bushes surround the area by the fences and somehow, the children welfare home looked like it's in a place far away from Tokyo where they were in…or far away from any place on earth. A perfect children's sanctuary, in Michiru's opinion.

Minako peered around as she entered through the fence.

It is soft, but you could hear faint noises of talking from the outside. The trio approached the building and Minako lifted her finger and pressed the door bell of the door. Now excited children noises could be heard on the other side of the door.

No one answered.

Minako pressed the doorbell again.

Running footsteps were heard, before the door swung right open in a way that Michiru hadn't expected and directly slammed on her face before she could even react.

* * *

Haruka gave a gigantic yawn in the park she was at in this Saturday afternoon. For the last two hours, she had been here ever since noon trying to memorize the map of Juuban district. Every nook and cranny, at least for tonight. The drug dealing was going to take place tonight…she procrastinated this far too long already. An escape route needed to be planned if there was any screw up in their plans. Haruka just hope her back up plan doesn't have to be used…not like there's any back up plan now. It's just bam, wham and mission accomplished.

"Haruka-san?"

Haruka looked up to find olive eyes looking at her. Kino Makoto, an agent attached to the special police forces like Kaioh Michiru. She has long brown hair which she likes to tie up into a bun and sports a pair of red rose earrings. She has a smile on her face constantly, or so thinks Haruka. Frankly, Haruka has never seen Kino Makoto without a smile. Ethan said he has seen her numerous times without a smile, more so, scowling at him. But Haruka never saw one time that Makoto wasn't smiling. Kino Makoto is tall, towering over the usual normal height girls, and also an expert in martial arts. But Haruka had to save her ass quite a number of times, secretly.

"What a coincidence, what are you doing here?"

Another smile. Sometimes, Haruka wondered why there was a need for Makoto to smile so much. Haruka folded the map of Juuban area and slotted it back into her jeans pocket. Haruka was just wearing a plain white collared shirt over a pair of dark blue jeans with slippers on her feet, looking so relaxed.

"Nothing in particular, just resting," a simple lie.

"It's a nice day, isn't it?"Makoto smiled brightly as she stretched slightly in front of the bench where Haruka was sitting.

Haruka obliged with a smile to mock interest. Everything Haruka does have a reason, nothing is beyond reasoning; hence Haruka really didn't understand Makoto sometimes. As easy as Makoto is to predict, is she hard to explain.

"How is Kaioh Michiru, by the way?"

Makoto this time smiled a little too wide at that question. Haruka didn't know how to analyse the smile this time. It looked like it was genuine plain smiling that Makoto does without reason usually, but there was a little mockery…and a bit of bitterness in that smile. Kaioh Michiru? There was only one thing that came across Haruka's mind at the thought of Kaioh Michiru.

"I like her giggle," Haruka answered, face perfectly blank. Haruka didn't think there was any point in showing any facial expressions now.

"You like her what?" Makoto's tone raised a little. It always happens, every time Makoto and she discussed positive opinions of people.

"Giggle. You were her mentor for a short period of time, you said before you left. Haven't you heard her giggle before?" Haruka threw a questioning look at Makoto.

"I…don't remember."

"Pity, it sounds really nice, like music," Haruka said as she smiled, unknowingly.

* * *

Michiru open her eyes to find Minako's cool blue one staring down into hers. Michiru blinked, before she saw Minako's face break into a wide smile.

"Dreaming, aren't you?"

"What happened?"

"C'mon, sit up."

Minako pulled Michiru's hands to support her sitting up. Michiru realized she was on a soft backing, presumably a bed. She looked down, yes, it was a bed. Turning her head back up slowly, she saw a few strangers' faces, but surprisingly not just one face, but two she recognized.

"Yano-san?!"

Ethan bowed and gave an apologetic look "My apologies, Kaioh-san. The door to the orphanage broke as I came to open it and it…well…"

Minako started giggling.

Michiru frowned. What happened? "Never mind, what are you doing here?" Michiru kept her voice calm, despite Minako giggling slightly irritating her.

Ethan smiled and chuckle a little, "welcome to my home, Kaioh-san."

"Home?" Michiru looked around and recalled. She remembered arriving at a place called Enya Orphanage and then when she was at the doorstep, the front door was opened but the latch broke hence the whole door fell on her.

"Yeah, Enya Orphanage."

"I'm sorry…" Michiru bowed her head a little.

Ethan shook his head and smiling, "don't be. You're up at the right time; want to take a look around? Can you walk?"

"She's coming too?!" Minako, out of nowhere.

"You don't want her to?" Ethan, a little confused.

"Aw…uh…of course!"

Michiru noted the flash of annoyance through Minako's face. That Minako, such a lecherous handsome boy chaser. Ethan looked good, that's no denying. But Minako didn't have to be so obvious Michiru was going to get in the way of her 'plans'! Michiru looked at Ethan as she shifted her legs to on the floor and hoist herself onto her feet.

"I think I will take a walk around myself," Michiru was pretty sure if she stayed around Minako will have her head later.

"Uh…okay" Ethan looked at Minako already twirling her arm around his and pulling apart from where Michiru is.

Michiru cocked her head at them and sighed; so typical of Minako to jumping on pretty boys. Minako I desperately single, anyways. Michiru? Well, Michiru is fully happy to be in singlehood, though she does dream of a lover sometimes. But if Michiru were to start anything, it will be a very serious relationship. It would be one that would last lifetimes… But with the current pile of girls and guys that she knows, it's impossible. If there was anybody she comes close to liking, it might be Makoto. But then it's a little wrong still, Michiru liked Makoto in a way a junior admires a senior.

"I'll show you around, then" Michiru snapped her head to the source of the voice.

A lady with light gray hair and nice complexion stood out and smiled at Michiru. This lady had a friendly feel to her; all the features on her face were smooth (except for the wrinkles here and there, but hey, even the wrinkle edges are smooth) and her eyes, more importantly, was soft. It was clear blue and soft. The woman's features fascinated Michiru.

"Kaioh Michiru, I heard your friend said?"

Michiru nodded and bowed in response.

"My, cultured aren't you? Don't worry about manners though. You can call me Enya; I run the orphanage. You're a friend of Ethan's too?"

"We're colleagues in Mentos Inc., Enya-san," Michiru said, though half the back of her head was thinking if Ethan was really a janitor at that Goddamn hell hole.

"Ah…" Enya chuckled a little before continuing "I'll introduce you to the children" and the old lady motioned Michiru to follow her out the door of the room where they were to the outside which is a big playroom with numerous of kids running around and uncountable number of toys. The mixture of colours and the blending of it against the warm colour of the walls gave Michiru a sense of home. Well, her home was homely, come to think of it, she missed her parents. The sounds of the kids squealing and light but fast rhythmic tip taps of feet running around isn't something she hears every day. Because of her police job, she hears more of kids screaming for help, or wailing in sorrow over lost family members or friends.

Enya clapped her hand very loudly to catch all the attention of the kids in the playroom. As in, really loud. Michiru raised her eyebrows at how strong the old lady's hands were, despite her age. "Kids!? My little sunshines!"

All the kids stopped in their tracks and looked over to Enya, though not necessarily quiet,

"This is Kaioh Michiru, Ethan-onichan's friend. Say hello to her!" Enya continued in her loud booming voice.

"Are you Ethan's girlfriend?" One boy asked.

"Hello! You are very pretty oneesan!" A girl piped.

"Is your blue hair for real?" Another girl asked.

"Don't kid me, Ethan's got such a nice girlfriend?"

"C'mon Ethan is handsome, unlike you!"

"I'm handsome too!!My big sister used to say that!"

Michiru had to laugh. She truly missed this –all these child voices, piping in funny conversations that you wouldn't hear coming out adults.

"SAY HELLO!" Enya's loud voice boomed over the big room they were in.

"Hello Kaioh-san!" All the kids said in unison with a bored rhythm and voice. Ah well, kids. Michiru did a mental head count; there were at least 12 in this room.

"Sorry Kaioh-san, they can get a little bit…mischievous." And immediately by the first word Enya had lowered her voice, all the kids in the room resumed their usual conversation and it was noisy in the room again.

Michiru nodded and smile as a response to an apologetic Enya. Then, she felt a tug at her pants. She ignored it and continued to look at Enya's clear blue eyes as Enya continued to speak over the noise that the children were making, before the tug repeated again. Michiru couldn't understand what Enya was saying because she couldn't hear a single thing, but resorted to lip reading to catch bits of it. Finally, something or someone who was tugging her tugged hard, a third time. Michiru swung her head to see who or what was it.

A pair of small brown eyes looks up at her with a pleading look.

Awww. It was the first thought in Michiru's mind when she look at that pair of brown eyes. It belonged to a girl who had a very adorable face to go along with the pair of small eyes. The girl was black, Michiru concluded, probably an African black, judging by the distinctive looks of the girl. Then Michiru stared further – the girl was crawling on the ground in an oversized pink t-shirt. Not because she was too small (well Michiru thought she's around 4 or 5) but because she had no legs. Michiru hadn't noticed before but now, it was all too clear. Automatically, Michiru picked her up and held her. Enya spoke, this time, audibly, partly because she was close by, and also, in a higher but solemn voice.

"This is Kasumi-chan. She was born with deformed legs and sadly…has AIDS."

Michiru's eyes widened at the information that was spoken. Oddly enough, that old lady could actually smile to the child as she said those words. Michiru gulped.

"Poor girl…" Michiru whispered as she stared at the big brown eyes who were smiling back at her, along with the little girl's whole facial expression.

The little girl pointed on the ground somewhat about five meters away, Michiru followed the line of sight to a pink plastic tray. Inside the plastic tray contained a violin. The violin didn't look expensive, though it looked really worn.

"Ah Kasumi-chan, not the violin again. Not everyone knows how to play a violin," beside Michiru, Enya's voice chided.

"No? You no how play?" Broken Japanese in her cute squeaky voice. Poor girl, thought Michiru, she must have spent more time on the bed or treatment table more than enjoying her life.

Michiru smiled and handed the little girl over to Enya as she walked over to the violin, bent, and picked it up. She put the bow on the string, paused for three seconds, and then as her right hand pulled the bow back and forth, her left fingers flew over the violin. A melody began in midst of all the noise of playing of children

"_Whenever sang my __songs__  
On the stage, on my own  
Whenever said my words  
Wishing they would be heard  
I saw you smiling at me  
Was it real or just my __fantasy__  
You'd always be there in the corner  
Of this tiny little bar  
My last night here for you  
Same old songs, just once more  
My last night here with you?  
Maybe yes, maybe no  
I kind of liked it your way  
How you shyly placed your eyes on me  
Oh, did you ever know?  
That I had mine on you"_

The increasing pace and the loudness of the violin indicated it was the climax of the song as Michiru's voice began singing again, suiting the pace and pitch of the violin perfectly. All the noises in the orphanage had died down, as everyone looked on as Michiru performed her little feat for little Kasumi.

_"Darling, so there you are  
With that look on your face  
_

_As if you're never hurt  
As if you're never down  
Shall I be the one for you  
Who pinches you softly but sure  
If frown is shown then  
I will know that you are no dreamer_

_So let me come to you  
Close as I wanted to be  
Close enough for me  
To feel your heart beating fast  
And stay there as I whisper  
How I loved your peaceful eyes on me  
Did you ever know  
That I had mine on you"_

Michiru closed her eyes as she repeated the chorus once more, totally immersing herself into the song. Little did she know, a pair of green eyes was watching her from outside the of the orphanage's playroom through an open window.  
_  
"Darling, so share with me  
Your love if you have enough  
You're tears if you're holding back  
Or __pain__ if that's what it is  
How can I let you know  
I'm more than the dress and the voice  
Just reach me out then_

_You will know that you are not dreaming."_

Immediately as the song stopped the green eyes moved away into hiding, and loud applause can be heard ringing throughout the orphanage. Michiru opened her eyes to see numerous pairs of eyes on her, plus one which belonged to a very surprised and delightful Yano Ethan's. Michiru bit her lower lip as she blushed and bowed in gratitude. Kasumi was smiling and squealing in happiness too. Her little face lit up with a bright smile gracing her adorable features that only serves to contrast how happy she is, despite having two deformed legs. Michiru got melancholic for a while, thinking how a child so young like Kasumi could even comprehend the concept of death, much less take the information that she cannot avoid death because there is no known cure for AIDS. It's not even as if Kasumi could help it about the disease…and now Michiru looks at the little girl coupled with all her thoughts and the emotions of this song she chose to sing, Michiru really felt like crying.

Behind the orphanage wall now stealthily making her way to the bushes to hide away from Kaioh Michiru was Haruka, who couldn't stop smiling after hearing the song.

* * *

Michiru slammed her lockers shut and sighed.

She and Minako spent too much time at the orphanage playing with the kids and talking with Ethan that they were almost late for the reporting time of their operations. It was 1759 in the evening when they reached in front of the office and by the time they ran in, knocking don't know how many people off balance in the process and breaking one flower pot holding a decoration plant, they actually managed to be barely just on time.

Michiru sighed again as she remembered Setsuna's stern face as she sarcastically remarked in her usual nonchalant yet low growl sounding voice _"You two should buy the lottery tomorrow to try your luck since you two got so much of it to risk being late for such an important operation."_

It was not as if they could help it. The children at Enya orphanage were so cute that Michiru couldn't resist-

A tap on her shoulder from behind stopped her thoughts.

Michiru turned around to see who was in the locker room with her now; she thought she was alone as Minako went out a couple of moments ago already. Her blue eyes meeting olive ones that stared directly into hers. Somehow, they didn't look too friendly.

"Michiru-san," Oops, Makoto's eyes didn't look too friendly and her smile was all the more fake.

Michiru, however, returned a bright smile, "Makoto-san, how coincidental to meet you here. You're working today?"

"I'm dropped from spying Mentos Inc., but I'm not totally dropped from the case yet," Michiru noted Makoto's voice cut really sharp with all the 't' and 'd' ending sounds emphasized Makoto. This didn't look good, but why? Makoto said nothing but 'work hard' that day Michiru received the order to take over the case from Makoto. "I'll be following you guys to Juuban Lake for the operations."

"Oh…I'm happy I get to work with you again, Makoto-san," which is genuine from Michiru. Ever since the mentoring period was over Michiru had never worked with Makoto before.

"Michiru-san…mind if you…giggle?"

"Eh?"

"Ah, no, never mind," and with that Makoto just left her.

Why did Makoto ask for the same thing Tenoh did? Michiru is bewildered. Did her giggle sound that nice?!

* * *

The sound of running water calmed her. Michiru didn't know whether to be glad or feel like she's in the worst position in her life to be actually working on a Saturday night at Juuban Lake and even worse, her job tonight was to bust a drug transaction. But water always calmed her; though the smell of the water, is another thing altogether. This Juuban lake smells like poop plus urine combines with the water that washed socks which were soaked in sweat and was worn by the smelliest foot in the world. No, not finished yet, take that above combination and combine it with the acidic pungent of vomit and multiply the strength of the smell by two times. That is the smell Michiru and her whole team is smelling right now.

"Eeewwww…" Minako whined in her usually sweet voice, which now sounded utterly like a spoilt princess to Michiru now. The nasal sound of her voice also indicated Minako is pinching her noise.

"Goodness sake Ribbon, we spend so much time scouting the maps of the area to find such a go spot where we can get a visual of the transaction and yet stay hidden. Quit whining!" Setsuna's voice hissed in the darkness.

"Ladies, relax," Mamoru half said half whispered in his mature low voice.

All of them were armed and dressed in black police combat suits specially designed for them when they take on high dangerous missions like this which involve a lot of money, high reputation and lots of guards. Yes, according to the informant and the accounting information Michiru sourced out, there is going to be lots of defense around. By the way, Minako 's codename is Ribbon. It was given because of Minako's obsession with ribbons.

"Actually, I don't see why there is a need for so many guards to be around-" Minako started and received a knock on her head to shut up, but in the darkness, she couldn't she who gave the knock to her. "Ouch! Who the-"

"Ribbon, you best keep your questions later," Setsuna hissed menacingly.

Michiru could hear Mamoru chuckled noiselessly, as she whispered "it involves a really huge sum of money, if you ask me."

"Are you serious?" This disbelieving voice didn't come from Minako, but from Makoto, who had been silent and still all the while in their hiding spot.

"Chef, please-" Setsuna hissed at Makoto but was cut off again.

"This operation is highly dangerous because it involves terrorist! I can't believe you guys didn't know! What are you doing? Have you guys ever read my report before I hand the spying over to Bluetooth?"

For once, there was total silence, before Mamoru broke it with "I did, Chef, don't worry I'll brief them-"

"_Narcotics team, this is the command centre. You are going to receive support from the military intelligence and espionage counter terrorist unit, as well as a sniper team in position at the other side of the bank. Do not, I repeat, do not fire on anybody marked with a luminous long patch with the military crest embedded in it. Or if you cannot see well, do not fire at anybody who is dressed in total dark blue suit like you guys. Out." _ A voice sounded in their ear piece that each of them wore.

"Roger command," Mamoru replied in his low voice then turned to the rest whom he could only see their eyes n the dark, "you heard them, we're not alone."

"I ever thought it would be such a big deal I thought it would be like the previous easy ones-"

"For goodness sake Ribbon stop whining! You're a special ops agent for the police this kind of things should be-"

"Sssshhh," Michiru hushed them as she heard faint voices from their target area.

In actual fact, they were hiding in a sewage waste area just few meters below the transaction area and there were two staircases that led up to the target area they were supposed to be raiding. The air pipes and ventilators around have been switched off already earlier in the day by the police, and hence the pipes now literally carry the voices of their suspects. The transaction was held in a secluded but big space of alley way that can be easily guarded by their targets due to the narrow entrance of both sides of the alleyway. The alleyway is the only thing connecting the Juuban park (oddly, Michiru could never smell any of this stench when she was in the park) to the actual lake itself. Pipes littered the alleyway, hence they decided to make use of it.

Michiru and her team strained their ears.

"Pleasure to meet you, Kou Yaten, I'm Royston Houton." A male voice. Michiru recognized the voice, it's not Wayne Smith of Mentos Inc. board of directors, but it belongs to the lecherous old man Michiru noted at yesterday morning's meeting, also, one of the influential board of directors.

A soft grunt that didn't quite sounded low was the reply.

"Fighters like you don't talk much eh?" Somehow the lecherous man's voice sounded jeering.

"Cut the crap, where's the goods?" Kou Yaten's voice sounded quite emotionless.

"In a hurry aren't you? I thought we could be friends-"the sound of a gun pulling to set it ready and shifting could be heard.

"Alright you got the gun, you win, but I want the payment first."

A little pause, then footsteps could be heard. After the footsteps stopped, a click sound of suitcase being open could be heard.

"We'll exchange. Hand my men the goods and I'll hand you the money."

"_All teams, we got a positive ID on the target. He is Kou Yaten on the world terrorist wanted list belonging to the group "Kingdom". You are clear to engage the enemy, I repeat, you are clear to engage the enemy but make sure the battle field does not extent outside the perimeter of Juuban park and not one, absolutely no civilians must be involve. And want this Kou Yaten alive. Watch your fire at the alley. Over and-"_

"Wait, wait, is that the Mentos Inc. board of director who is in charge of-" Michiru's voice was cut off like how she cut the command centre person's voice.

"Narcotics team, we have no time or the resource to check that ID right now but we will as soon as we got our hands free. Out."

"Bastard, we've become the military helping hand again," Setsuna hissed.

Everyone took their turns to sigh.

"But Michiru, do you recognize the voice?" Mamoru asked now.

"Yes, I'm positive he is one of the directors of Mentos Inc." Michiru repeated.

"Sure?" Mamoru queried again.

"Affirmative."

"Okay team, you all have the permission to arrest the man and anybody who aids him in this operation that you can find. Keep your identity a secret t all times, meaning, keep your face protection hood and goggles on, especially Bluetooth."

"Roger." All four of them whispered in unison after their chief spoke and put on their face hoods as well as goggles.

"_Okay, we have the place locked down and surrounded. All teams in position, open fire. Out." _The command centre spoke again.

Immediately, sniper shots could be heard and sounds of gunshots rang out throughout the place. "Go go go!" Mamoru shouted as they split into two teams- Minako and Michiru on one going out on the left to surround enter the alley entrance from one end, Makoto, Setsuna and Mamoru in another entering the alley at the other entrance.

Michiru and Minako proceeded as planned as they exited out the sewage and navigated their way to the alley, to oddly, find the grey alley empty. The light was flickering in the darkness and unlike the military; they didn't have night vision goggles. It's too quiet, compared to the commotion they heard a moment ago. Not only that, where's Makoto, Setsuna and Mamoru?

"Uh Bluetooth? You got a visual on the target?" Michiru heard Minako through her ear piece and through her ears.

Before Michiru could reply, a flash bang was thrown in the alley and created a white blinding light. Then, Michiru could see nothing but whiteness and hear gun fire sounds all around her. She struggled for a while, but she really could not get her eyes to focus on anything but whiteness, but she felt a tug on her shoulder pulling her in one direction swiftly. She had no choice but to allow it to tug her; she couldn't resist and furthermore, she didn't know what direction, or who was tugging her.

Soon, the grip on her shoulder was released and she could she her surroundings in a little blur dark image before a force on the same shoulder tug her with a huge force, causing her to lose balance and fall in the lake.

Michiru's whole face hurt from the sudden change in pressure, but soon she was lifted up and she open her eyes to see a silver haired man with bright eyes, but Michiru couldn't point out what colour in the darkness, before she was dunked back into the water again. She tried to keep her eyes open in the lake but the lake water hurt her eyes, though before she could process the pain in her mind she was lifted back up and the voice she identified as Kou Yaten's, now she matched it to a face, boomed into her ears.

"Stupid police, you think you can stop us?! Huh?! Not in a million years!!" and Michiru was dunked back in forcefully again, and lifted again.

"You think this is some stupid cat and mouse game we play with the police? The military? You can never stop us!" But before the man could dunk Michiru again Michiru caught hold of the man's hand that were now clasped on her head and writhed it out. Using her knee, she managed to knee him and he retracted a little distance from her. Now she was trying her best to swim while trying to choke out the water within her but he was quicker. Before she could even raise her hands or take a deep breath he had his hand on her head again and forced it down into the water.

Michiru struggled, but the man was strong and the lack of oxygen in water as well as the difficulty in opening her eyes in this lake water, which she suspected to be more acidic than usual made all her struggles futile. With one less burst of determination, she tried to writhe the hand out of the clasp on her head and opened her eyes to see her assailant once more. She tried and tried until her brain told her it was time to give up, not because she lacked the determination to, but the life power too.

The last thing she saw under the water was someone punching her assailant, who subsequently released the grip on her head. She felt the hold gone, she relaxed and blacked out.

* * *

"Kaioh, Kaioh!" This husky voice…so familiar.

Michiru tried to shake her head and open her eyes.

"Kaioh, wake up!"

She felt her lips forced to part and something warm and sweet on it, then forced air into her mouth and lungs, helping her to breathe.

"Kaioh! Damn you, breathe!"

Michiru tried to nod, but couldn't. She didn't have the energy to. Then she tried to take in one breath of air. The pain in her stomach shot right up to her throat; as she felt herself like she had been stuffed with food and water from her stomach up all the way to her throat. Immediately, she couldn't control but vomited right out everything that was stuck. She coughed and coughed as she felt warm water spill out 

of her throat to her mouth and then out of her mouth to her face and chest. She opened her eyes to see a blurred vision of a head against a flickering light on top.

"Wh-who…" Michiru managed to whisper out.

"You almost drowned, damnation! Haven't the police academy course taught you not to let anybody attack you from behind especially nearby a pool of water!"

Michiru blinked a couple of times to try and get a clearer vision, but the light on top of the person's head wasn't helping at all. "W-who are you…?" Michiru whispered weakly again.

The person helped her up into a sitting position and let Michiru leaned on for support. The person's warmth and gentleness engulfed her. Suddenly, Michiru felt at home. She didn't know why but she really felt as she belonged to this person, whoever it is, who saved her. She leaned comfortably against the person and smiled a little.

"How are you feeling, Kaioh-san?" Husky voice. Michiru loved people with a little femininity but having a husky voice, just like how this one sounded. What made her not like this voice…?

"Kaioh-san?" Suddenly, Michiru felt herself being pulled away from the body warmth but supported by the person's arms that felt wet too, like her whole body was.

Michiru looked up and tried to give a weak smile at the blurry face. Now the light shone on the face instead of at the background of the face. Michiru blinked again to clear her vision, but she felt really really tired. The more she blinked the more she didn't want to open her eyes anymore. She blinked again and struggled to open them.

Brilliant green eyes met hers.

Michiru blinked again and saw that the person had a fair complexion with messy short blonde hair.

Michiru blinked again and then she recognized the face, before she blinked the last time to reaffirm the identity that the face belonged to. And then, her whole vision was black because she was too tired to struggle and open her eyes. Michiru let her body slack and relax against the person's warmth, as she mentally relaxed and slept.

Haruka stared in exasperation as Michiru in her arms, blacked out again.

* * *

A/N : Alright, here is chapter 2. Uh, okay i admit, i had a really hard time writing this chapter (because it's kinda a bridging one lol) So yeah, this is a combination of one week worth of sleepless nights LOL. Haha but i enjoyed writing it in the end. It's a little confusing still, so sorry. But trust me, things will start clearing up as the story progresses. So yeah, please tell what you think of it! Pardon my typos and grammar too... but i did spell check it, though there's bound to have slips :X

Anyways, please try and leave me a review if you've read this far! :)

_P/S: I won a Michiru/Setsuna one shot fic from Vanessa Riverton(pen name on FF) when we bet on Euro 2008 final and i won because Spain won HAHAHA! Xavi! Torres! Woohoo! Check out trixxie (author's penname) profile for the one shot. Share my joy x)_


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer : I own nothing but the plot. I don't own Sailormoon, neither do i own the name 'Mentos' (I bloody love that sweet!). The whole story is fictitious and I'm not getting any money for it. Any relevance to actual living persons or events is entirely coincidental.**

A/N: I am really sorry this took so long to come out. I had it half written...and lotsa stuff happens in personal life. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed!! I love you guys! And seriously, I'm sorry this took so long. Personal stuff are...daunting. Okay abit on the story. I'm riding with Michiru thoughts in third person almost the whole of this chapter. Since Michiru doesn't know Haruka is a girl yet...that's why Haruka is keep getting called Tenoh (though i believe there's an occasion i switch it for a while) and referred to as a guy. Okay, ima stop talking now and let you read this.

Please tell me what you think of it! Love you reviewers!

* * *

Hino Rei's phone vibrated, indicating a call. She whipped it out of her pants pocket in that military suit she is donning for the 'damn drug bust plus capture Kou Yaten' operation which is failing, miserably. Somehow, the army now look like shit, thanks to the screwed ups of the police force. The caller ID is blank; but Rei knew better, she knew who it was.

"You."

"Hino-san, "a light chuckle from the other side.

"What is it?"

"I left you a present on the most secluded bench at Juuban Park. Make sure you collect her."

"What-"and the phone went dead.

Typical terrorist kidnapper fashion. Rei shook her head as she held up her hand and motioned for her squad to regroup. Whatever the present is, it must require her attention. The call is no joke, as always. She led the group out of the lake area and entered the park.

* * *

"…_and now for the latest news the Japan Military had released a statement at midnight yesterday confirming an operation relating to drug dealing and Kingdom, with a possible sighting of Kou Yaten, age 24, one of the main leaders of Kingdom. No statements have been released on the success of the operation nor the capture of Kou Yaten though there are rumors flying around that Mentos Inc was involve in the drug transaction. Tonnes of heroin amounting to a staggering US 30 million worth have been found packed in boxes disguised as Mentos sweet, though it was reported that the military had only been able to recover less than a quarter of the goods. 7 casualties from the operation was reported from the Japan Military, while an estimated 13 died in the operation from Kingdom and 10 other captured. We'll bring you more on that and now let's look the world news. Mentos Inc. have recently announced-"_

Abruptly, the television that was on the centre of the meeting table was switched off, leaving the room in total darkness. Footsteps could be heard and then the lights flicked on soon after. Michiru closed her eyes for a while to ease her eyes adjusting to the sudden change in lighting when a voice boomed over the meeting room. The voice was sharp and crystal clear, with a little bit of bass. Just a little to make it capable of being sexy and motherly, but it still sounded shrill to Michiru.

"So who should we blame for the failure of this operation? The police or us, the military?"

Michiru opened her eyes to meet deep purple eyes meeting hers briefly before it looked to her other colleagues.

Minako, Setsuna, Makoto and Mamoru all had to be subjected to the wrath of Hino Rei along with her. Hino Rei is the captain of military intelligence and espionage unit that was actually involved in the operation some seven hours ago. Hino Rei was dressed in brown military uniform for women and 

sported long straight black hair with neat by layered bangs, coupled with features that could make her look beautiful, or like a bit- no no, witch. It was a goddamned 3am on Sunday morning for Michiru and honest to all divine powers, was she horribly tired. But she couldn't complain, can she?

"I can't believe that I have to transport your member back here too! Since when did the special police corps became a bunch of losers?!"

Michiru closed her eyes again. Somehow, she knew Hino Rei didn't pull her out of the Juuban lake from the hands of a silver haired man, but the blonde person who saved her is Tenoh? How can Tenoh pull her out? How can Tenoh be the one who saved her? He's a civilian for goodness sake! It must be some…Tenoh-lookalike person? But Michiru was certain the person was Tenoh…she remember seeing his face, or a blurred view of a face she recognized to be his. Anyways, back to the point, Hino Rei has reportedly found her lying on a bench of Juuban Park covered by a wet black half leather jacket and brought her back here to the special police operations headquarters, where she woke up from her slumber an hour ago at 2am to the great relief of everyone.

"Now the situation is perfect. Perfectly screwed up. We lost Kou Yaten,we lost 3 of our men who died in the operations, we lost the man in Mento Inc that could lead to anything and to top it off, we let the damn terrorist group get away with most of the goods and the cartons we recovered in our hands has already amounted to 20 million US dollar. All because this damned team screwed up in storming the alleyway due to a silly flash bang!"

"And a smoke grenade-"Mamoru interjected but fell silent immediately as Rei's eyes bore down menacingly on him.

"Any more excuses this team can come up with?" Rei's shrilly voice turned to that of mocking.

No matter how much Michiru didn't like the 'meeting' or rather the scolding session; there was no way to dispute. Hino Rei was correct, at least, in Michiru's extent. She slipped after getting sneaked upon by the flash bang, and subsequently pulled into the water in her half clear state of mind. Which comes to the question again, who, exactly who saved her? Who was the one who punched her assailant with silver hair? Who was the one who gave her CPR to revive her? Who-

"Kaioh Michiru-san, would you care to elaborate who left you on the bench at Juuban Park?"

Michiru look up to see Rei glaring at her then looked around across the oval shaped wooden meeting table that all her colleagues in the team sat around. Everyone's eyes were on her.

"Well, I don't know who saved me…I only know that person has short hair," and Michiru added mentally, has a comfortable body warmth and sweet lips.

Makoto raised her eyebrows quite noticeably at that little description, though she stayed silent.

"Minako-san, would you care to elaborate what you saw?" Rei now directed her glare at Minako, who rolled her eyes in defiance as she spoke.

"I saw Michiru being drowned by a silver haired man whom now I know is Kou Yaten himself before a hooded man whom is armed with an AK-47 slung on him sprung a surprise attack on Kou Yaten, rendering Kou Yaten to release his hold on Michiru. Subsequently, I last see Michiru getting dragged towed away on the other direction of me by the same man."

Rei now did an evil smirked at Michiru, "Any idea who might be your terrorist friend?"

Michiru stayed silent. Her mind was in a whirlwind. Tenoh, terrorist? It can't be. Tenoh is her manager for goodness sake, earning a high salary for sure in Mentos In- wait wait, Tenoh might be connected to Mentos Inc. drug dealings! But then again, why did she think the blonde person was Tenoh? It might be his lookalike, for all she knows. She had no evidence. And whoever this person was, he or she saved her life. She shouldn't repay him or her in this way.

"Kaioh?" Rei repeated, and Michiru snapped back into reality. Her mind made up.

"No."

"But you were thinking," Michiru smiled at Rei's reversal accusation. Always an interrogator eh, Hino Rei?

"I was scanning through my head all of my friends from my whole life and no one resembles any remotely to whoever who saved me."

"How do I know that is true?" Rei said as she leaned closer from the north end of the oval table to Michiru's position.

Michiru didn't want to lose. Michiru challenged her gaze by putting her elbows on the table and placed her chin on her palms as she leaned towards Rei. Her deep blue eyes now dancing with a little mysterious aura as it matched suspicious deep purple ones of Hino Rei. "You can do a background check on me, I don't mind. But if you do that I take it that you are suspecting me to be a double agent. Wouldn't it result in a little…infighting?"

The intense gaze between both of them lingered before a loud, really loud yawn broke their gaze to stare at the perpetrator.

Minako stopped in mid way yawn, "Eh?"

Setsuna put a hand out and snap Minako's jaw shut by pushing it up and gave an awkward laugh.

* * *

"You got the goods?" Yaten heard his brother's voice over the cell phone.

"I lost about 15 percent of it," Yaten gulped but answered quite calmly, his voice not giving any emotions.

"Fuck you. Didn't I tell you the money is bloody fucking important! Every damn cent is!" Taiki's voice boomed over the telephone.

"I know, I'm sorry, I'll retrieve the goods."

"You better, or else don't let me see your fucking face or I'll blow the shit off your asshole."

The phone clicked off.

Yaten sighed as he removed the cell phone from his ear and looked at it. His other hand rubbed the side of his face that was sorely punched by who he deemed to be a double-crosser from his side. But strangely, the men about 50 or so, now left 26, all had been handpicked by him. He really couldn't tell who had stopped him from drowning one of the police agents. He cannot imagine anybody betrayed him, in fact. All fifty guys were the loyalists that followed him to training in the island. They managed to move all the cargo they stowed away with back to their secret warehouse somewhere in Tokyo. Yaten didn't know exactly where, he just knew how to drive there from memory. His phone rang again. Yaten motioned or the remaining guys to rest as he walked away from the crowd and picked up the call.

"Yaten!"

"Seiya?"

"You're okay! I was worried when I saw the news. I heard the operation was half failure half success! How many men did we lose?"

Yaten smiled slightly a little, "13, 10 other were captured but we'll get them out. The rest are fine. I'm fine…too."

"Taiki gave you the dressing down huh?"

"Yeah…"

Seiya chuckled, "Don't worry, I know you did your best. Kous always do their best, like our father, even though he…died in an unfashionable way."

"…You know I don't see a point in the war, much less this drug dealing means to get money for it. We can always extort Yano Ethan for more," Yaten added nonchalantly.

"So we can all get caught one by one after that."

"He didn't do anything the last 3 times we did it!"

"For the better good, we have to sell drugs. And don't let Taiki hear how much you don't like fighting or we'll both be in deep shit!" Seiya now hissed over the phone.

Yaten became quiet.

"You know how much he wants to become King of Japan again. Our father was murdered by those bloody politicians. He is the true King of Japan, and we should be ruled under the King! After that we'll both be princes and we can have everything we want, women, fame, fortune, singing, you name it! Isn't that good?"

"A bit unrealistic, isn't it?"

"Yaten, if we succeed Japan will be ruled by us."

"…I'm tired, Seiya."

"At? You can't be tired of our goal! Even if you are we have to kill the silly puppet king and all his damn politicians to avenge for Father!"

"I mean tonight."

"Oh, rest well, Yaten" and Yaten clicked the phone off even before before he said any farewell to his brother.

Yaten is really tired of this…useless battle. But yearly Taiki and Seiya just managed to convince so many people to serve them. Their army of 20 or 30 saboteurs when Yaten was still a kid now has grown to a bulky size of a thousand five and God knows how many splinter cells supporting the same cause in just twelve years. If this money can't buy them their much needed last resort, then nothing else would work.

* * *

Michiru, finally arriving home at 6am in the morning when the sun has already half risen on Sunday morning, just laid back on the couch with all tiredness as her fatigue crept up on her. Michiru was very proud of the apartment she bought and furnished on her own. Moving out of her parents' home in somewhere at the edge of Tokyo where her father supported her mother and her by working as a neighbourhood police officer, she bought her own apartment in Tokyo after she saved enough from her job. Juuban hill, was the apartment block name. Which reminds her, Ethan stayed near her at Juuban heights, though he claimed the orphanage as his home earlier as well.

She pushed herself off her maroon velvet couch as she walked on her sand colored tiled floor that fitted the white wash painted walls that hung various paintings, all about the seas or the sky, mostly blue and a little greenish. Some she painted herself out of her free time, some bought in the 2nd hand art shop. Only one picture hung on the wall, which is her proud family portrait in black and white. She turned to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of water on the wooden shelves and sipped it, in deep thought.

Tenoh Haruka. Is it any possibility her marketing manager is a terrorist in disguise? But if so, why did he save her? But why, why does she even associate the blonde green eyed who saved her as him? It might be anybody else. Plus, she bet Tenoh's lips would taste more like bitter than sweet, and his warmth is definitely as disgusting as what comes out of his mouth.

But could it be him?

Michiru walked back into her living room and picked up her cell phone. Sure, she got his number, because all employees are supposed to have their bosses' number, isn't it so?

Michiru let her finger rest on the green call button.

To call, or not to call?

It can't be him! Michiru shook her head. No way, he is just a snobbish male chauvinist with a perverted fetish for her giggle. Which reminds her…she left the office on Friday fully expecting her spy job to end by then, and that means…Monday blues. All the work she has leftover from Friday would be piling up like a mountain full of...shit.

Her grip on her phone tightened unknowingly.

Oh no, Tenoh is going to give her hell on Monday. He is never going to reduce her work, and who knows what that perverted man would want her to do this time to let her off for the day. Friday it was just giggle…what would be Monday? Michiru frowned and sighed. Monday blues, for sure.

"Hello?" A faint voice sounded from somewhere beneath.

"Eh?"

A while of silence ensued. Michiru was hearing things?

"Kaioh-san?"

Her name?! God is she so tired she's hearing things from below? Michiru froze awhile on the spot, before she finally took a deep breath and look down to the source of the voice.

"Kaioh-san?"

Oh, no wonder. "T-T-Tenoh-san?" Michiru quickly put the phone to her ear.

A light husky chuckle formed at the other end of the line, "6am is not a good time to call your boss."

"Uh…well…but you picked up." Michiru hit herself hard mentally.

"It's only manners?"

"I uh, just wanted to tell you Sunday morning, rain is falling," Michiru blurted out of nowhere.

"…okay."

"I…nothing Tenoh-san, sorry for this call" Michiru said and within a second, Michiru heard something she found extremely rude.

Click.

Bastard, not even a goodbye before he hangs up. Michiru rolled her eyes and scowled at her cell phone. Then her cell phone sounded a message alert. He is rude, obnoxious, and irritating. Definitely the one who saved her wasn't Tenoh; the person who save her was warm and nice, a far cry from this…irritating boss. She unlocked her cell phone key pad and opened the message-

'_I forgot to say goodbye. I'll see you on Monday morning…alert and well rested. –Tenoh'_

Okay, Michiru stopped scowling.

He's a little bit cute…like this.

* * *

The first thought on Michiru's mind when she stepped into her office at Mentos Inc. building on Monday morning at half past eight, was her bed. Honestly, she rather would throw away all her status and reputation in Mentos Inc. and in the police division for an hour longer in bed. But time decides …otherwise. She was so tired from the events that transpired on Saturday that she spent her whole Sunday doing almost nothing but lazing at home all day. Oh, oh, and she did painting out of frustration yesterday night due to Monday blues. It was red and splashed in black, in all sense the painting was her vent machine. Walking into the office to be greeted by ten smiling faces…fake smiling faces. Michiru found nothing to smile about on a Monday morning at Mentos Inc.

Nevertheless, she waved back and smiled…or tried to smile. It turned out a little contorted between a blank sleepy look and a smile.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Tenoh glance at her and stood up from his seat in his room as he picked up the office phone at the same time. She sat down on her seat and packed her things away to begin a hellish work day when Tenoh opened his office door and walked out of the room, distracting her. Blonde hair in its usual messy look, adorning a black suit, shirt and pants but his tie was maroon red. Nice colours…but it dawned on Michiru that they are almost wearing matching colours. Michiru was also in a black shirt and knee length skirt. That was quite pleasant; never thought Tenoh would actually have the same colour preferences for working clothes with her on the same day-

Wait, pleasant?! Michiru frowned at her own thoughts. Screw that! It's just pure coincidence-

"I have an announcement ladies and gentlemen; we got a new lady joining us today. Ami-san, bring her in," and Tenoh motioned his hands in a gesture to come in.

Michiru stared dumbfounded. There was no more space in the office for another person! Where was she going to sit, or why did they hired another person? Michiru was sure she was doing her work and all-

"I'm Hino Rei, please to meet you all," a long straight black haired woman appeared from the doorway into the office sporting a very serious yet friendly look, wearing a very professional looking pure white suit, though Michiru thought the bright blood reddish bag Hino Rei was carrying was thoroughly mismatched.

Oh, that's why.

* * *

At eleven thirty, just half an hour before lunch time, Michiru and Rei exchanged like the tenth glare at each other across their table.

"_Haruka-san, where am I going to sit?" Hino Rei hummed in a sweet voice to Tenoh. _

_Michiru tried her best to keep her straight face and not to scowl like some barbarian._

"_Oh right, no free tables. Kaioh-san, you wouldn't mind sharing until we can work something out, do you?" Tenoh said, in all authority and politeness that signaled it would be illegal in Mentos Inc. societal law to refuse._

"_Of course not," Michiru smiled the fakest smile she could come up with that time and said it in her sweetest voice to imitated Hino Rei._

"_There, Rei-san, sit opposite Kaioh-san for the time being, till the HR department gets the arrangement sought out," and Tenoh smiled a boyish but obviously, genuine smile to Hino Rei, which churned Michiru stomach, somewhat._

_And the worst of all, Hino Rei smiled back in that same manner._

Now the reminder of what happened this morning just irritates Michiru. She couldn't help sending glares to Rei. One, Rei's presence signaled that the Japan army and the Japan police force cum narcotics agents are at war. Two, Rei obviously pissed her off in the weekend, and now Michiru has to see her face the whole week! Three, what the hell did Rei do to Tenoh to make him…smile like that?! Michiru haven't really talked to Rei yet since she came in the morning, except or the grunts and occasional fake sounding questions on the arrangement of things on their table. Their glares started ever since Rei took her seat and their stuff kind of clashed with each other, overlapping each other's stuff. Each time their hand reach out to shift something they always share a glare. Luckily for Michiru…Rei was using a laptop, while Michiru, a desktop computer that could completely hides her face from Rei when she needed it.

The office phone rings on now Michiru/Rei's desk. They share the eleventh glare, before Michiru swiftly picked it up at the fourth ring.

"Kaioh-san,"

That husky voice, "Tenoh-san, what's up?"

"Get ready for a lunch, you're coming with me today," Michiru noted Tenoh said that in a metallic voice.

"What?"

"We're going to have lunch together," same tone.

"Since when did you ask me?" Michiru, full of doubt.

Michiru heard a sigh, before Tenoh repeated slowly and deliberately pronouncing each word clearly "We, are, going, to, have, lunch, together, today. It's not a question, Kaioh-san."

Irritating guy, Michiru thought. "What? You can't just drag me out for lunch-"

"Oh yes I can, ten minutes," and click, the phone was hung up.

Michiru took the receiver off her ear and stared at it in disbelief.

"Lunch date with Haruka-san?" Michiru look up to find Rei's purple eyes staring intently at her.

"You eavesdropped me, Hino," Michiru in a defeated voice.

"What about me? Who am I going to lunch with today?"

"What? You expected me to lunch with you?" Michiru put the receiver down but her disbelief expression remained on her face as she shifted her eyes from the phone to Rei.

"Don't you wanna know why I'm here as well?" Rei narrowed her eyebrows.

"I do, but we can talk anytime?"

"Come on what's better than lunch time to discuss our…real jobs."

"You can look for others for lunch we can talk later," Michiru insisted.

"I…uh-"

"Ami-san will go with you."

Both Rei and Michiru look up at the interruption of their conversation to find Tenoh smiling quite brightly down at the both of them. Michiru instantly gets annoyed again…it's another one of his 'oh so charming' smile that every girl in the office she knows can't resist except her. As Michiru expected, Rei was a little dumbfounded by the sudden interruption and the bright green eyes on her.

"I…I…uh…" Rei stuttered, looking completely at loss.

Michiru felt Tenoh grab her arm and gently pulled her up and away from her seat. "Won't want to be late, do we?" Tenoh said as he pulled her away from the seat to the doorway.

"Tenoh! I haven't gotten ready yet I still need my wallet and-"

"I'm paying, and I've got all you need," Tenoh replied as he pressed the button for the lift and let go of Michiru's arm.

Michiru eyed him suspiciously, "Where are we going, why me and what do you have that I need?"

Tenoh chuckle and look at her with his bright green eyes. For the first time that day, Michiru truly looked at his face. The most prominent thing that caught her attention was the faint dark circles around his eyes, which signified he either had a wild night…or a tiring one. But then again, she remembered he actually picked her call up at 6am on Sunday morning. She had to…ask, because it was biting her about the call, and…if there was any chance he was the one who saved her. "What…were doing at 6am on Sunday?" she asked, breaking the short momentary silence between them.

Tenoh looked thoughtful for a while, as if he was playing with different answers in his mind. Michiru narrowed her eyes; not that it helped to read his thoughts or anything. Finally, he sighed and answered, "I don't want to lie, let's just leave it at…I just got home."

Now the first part piqued Michiru's curiosity. "Why won't you lie?"

Tenoh chuckled as he stuck his hands into his pants pocket. Michiru felt that posture made him look…cute. Again. "I don't know, but I don't like lying when I don't need to. You lied to me before?"

Tenoh cocked his eyebrows and looked at her.

"I…" and Michiru thought of the things she said she said to him before…and for sure, she did lied to him before. "Well, I-"

The lift bell rang and the door opened. Tenoh walked in first and held the door open for Michiru. Quite gentlemanly, Michiru felt, and she was pleased by that action.

Silence evolved in the elevator. The ride felt like forever to Michiru. But even forever has a stop to it, doesn't it? The lift bell rang again and the door opened, with Tenoh stepping out first. But this time, he turned around and faced her fully. "It's okay, you don't have to admit. It would make my blood boil only."

"Do you hate liars so much?" Michiru questioned Tenoh as they walked across the lobby, nodding and smiling to everyone who passed them by in all fake-ness to reach the entrance/exit of the Mentos Inc. building.

"Yes and no?"

"Why?"

Tenoh nodded to the security guard that replaced the one that she secretly caught to the police station as he replied "I don't like…false hopes."

Michiru so took that the wrong way. She tried not to smirk at the statement as she lowered her voice on deliberate and asked again, "got cheated by a girl lying to you before?"

Tenoh gave a bewildered look as they pushed the door out of the way of the entrance of Mentos Inc. and walked across the carpark.

"I have never been in love," Tenoh said, somewhat nonchalantly.

"WHAT?"

"I have never been in love." Tenoh repeated again, in the same tone he used to say the previous time. Michiru noted Tenoh's lack of understanding what is called 'shock reaction'.

Tenoh pulled out his keys as Michiru went wide eyed in shock silence. Kidding? Charming Tenoh Haruka whom the whole population of girls in Mentos Inc. had tried flirting or courting in that short one month he's been here has never been in a relationship? And he's not even afraid to admit it! Or…is he lying? Wait, didn't he say he didn't like to lie when he-

Michiru heard a loud beep and some locks unlocking itself. And it the sounds were coming from black stylish BMW Z4 M Roadster car. Michiru stared in disbelief again. She noticed she had this...disbelief look already quite a number of times today.

"You own this?!" Michiru exclaimed.

Tenoh nodded and motion for her to get in as he walked around it to the driver' seat.

"Oh my…" Michiru got in the smell of leather wafted and filled her noise and senses. A simple, rich and elegant car. "You, don't have a girl friend or anything, well you might be gay I know, but you never been in a relationship when you have all these? Don't…people just flock to you?"

Tenoh chuckled as he started the car. Michiru still staring bewildered at him. He is handsome, he is rich. That's more than enough reason to make a lot of girls go after him and surely he-

"I can't love anyone, and no one will love me."

He said that in the straightest voice Michiru has ever heard. "How do you know-"

"Put on your seatbelt and grab the handle; I do drive fast," he put his left index finger to his lips in a cute action and smiled. With that, he stayed true to his words. He sped out of the car park and down the highway, with Michiru staring intently at him the whole ride in silence.

* * *

If Michiru knew it was a business lunch, she wouldn't have come along so easily. No wonder, no wonder no wonder. Tenoh won't be that nice to bring her out for lunch out of the blue in is typical 'I don't care what you think' style. She should've remembered, he was as annoying as he was every bit before she suspected he saved her.

Here she was, seated at a big table in a posh restaurant in the middle of Tokyo rich district with a notepad in her hand and a pen in the other. She was tasked by Tenoh to take the minutes of this lunch meeting…as Tenoh put it. She should feel honoured she was her, eating posh food and working at the same time. She's getting paid to eat posh food. Michiru should've known, Tenoh says disgusting things sometimes. She mentally stuck her tongue out at Tenoh who was seated right beside her with his eyes closed in resting.

What the hell.

Tenoh looked please with himself just now to be the first to arrive in this empty ten people table. Michiru sighed as she stared in silence at her surroundings.

Oddly, silence with Tenoh wasn't boring nor uncomfortable, but comforting and rather…easily used to. And with his eyes closed beside her…she could really get used to this. He looks like a calm little boy asleep with his head bowed and eyes closed, face still and expressionless…somewhat innocent looking, and to top it off, he was cultured enough to actually sleep quite nicely with his lips together. He is…well bred, for sure. Just that he lacks emotions, from the interactions between him and her. That probably is the root of the things Michiru didn't like about him. But why is he so emotionless? Had he had a troubled childhood like her?

"Michiru-san?" A familiar gentle male voice sounded.

"Yano-san?" She looked up to dirty blue eyes.

Ethan chuckled and took a seat beside Michiru on the table. Michiru noted Ethan was wearing a black coat and pants with white shirt with a blue striped tie that matches his eyes. His hair is combed back nicely and he is well shaven…looking very refine. A stark contrast to the him she saw on Saturday at the orphanage. Wait wait, janitor in suit at a posh restaurant?

"Aren't you a janitor shouldn't you be working?" Michiru blurted out, a little too loud, because Tenoh opened one eye to look at Michiru after she said it.

"Janitor?"

"So you are not a janitor! My first instinct about you was right!"

"He never was," Tenoh interrupted, looking at Michiru in doubt.

Ethan chuckled in his seat. Michiru turned suspicious again. Could Ethan be any involvement in the whole drug thing of Mentos Inc.? If he is…that explains a lot of things. How he know about Makoto and stuff…to think Michiru trusted him!

Seeing Michiru's eyes widen, Ethan could guess roughly what was running through Michiru's head about doubts on him. But before he could say anything Haruka cut him to it. "Ethan's the CEO of Mentos Inc., don't you know that?"

"WHAT?"

"Ethan's the CEO of Mentos Inc.-"Tenoh repeated but was cut off by an equally familiar voice like Ethan's, to Michiru, in a distance.

"Who said what so loudly? Uugh, disgraceful." The voice had its source from the entrance of the restaurant.

"Nay, madam, but be sure we will trace it," the waiter replied at the entrance.

"Don't let small things like this bother your mood for a lunch meeting with the Mentos Inc. board of directors, Beryl-sama!" Michiru frowned. That lecherous old man's voice! Royston Houton, the one who was involved on Saturday's drug transaction with Kingdom! And Beryl…oh goodness, the one Michiru pissed off at the boutique on Saturday!

Saturday is haunting her, Michiru concluded.

Michiru gulped, as she prepared herself for the loud faithful accusing tone. "YOU!" there! That evil screeching sounding voice Michiru heard on Saturday was sounded here again.

Tenoh and Ethan glanced at each other, then to Michiru, then to Beryl and then back to Michiru in confusion.

"You are an employee in Mentos Inc.? Damnation!" Beryl shouted so loudly that Michiru was pretty sure the whole restaurant could hear.

Tenoh eyed Michiru suspiciously as he went up with Ethan to invite Beryl who was dressed in wine red dress and exaggeratingly luxuriously to sit. Michiru sighed and ignored everything in her surroundings closing her eyes to enjoy a few seconds of peace as Tenoh and Ethan handled Beryl. Today is too much of a shock for her already. First, Hino Rei at Mentos Inc. spying with her, then Tenoh dragging her off to somewhere and the increased possibility of him being the one who saved her, and then Yano Ethan being actually the one who pays her salary at Mentos Inc. job…and now, this Beryl woman is actually in this meeting involving her.

Michiru opened her eyes to find the rest of the board of directors have actually arrived and are taking their seats, as Ethan and Tenoh struggle to convince Beryl to sit. Finally after about five minutes, they did succeed, and the awkward silence revolved around Beryl, the ten board of directors, the owner of Mentos Inc., the marketing manager and the stand in secretary.

"I guess I should do introductions, Beryl-sama. I believe we all have met once, but you haven't met the stand in secretary? Our current secretary is on medical leave today hence there was a need for an urgent replacement," Ethan started.

Beryl looked at him skeptically with her black shiny eyes.

"Her name is Kaioh Michiru. Michiru-san, this is Beryl-sama, a long time customer of our sweets in shelves in her department store, the Daimond grand store."

Oh, no wonder she's that rich and snobby. "Beryl-san, I am here-"

"Kaioh…Kaioh is really familiar…"

"Beryl-sama, my family name is not-"

"OH, it's that family! Kaioh Yoshi, that tycoon turn drug addict and then wasted his fortunes, now back to normal family guy, but cannot stand up anymore as glorious as he used to be. Are you his daughter?"

Michiru's shock look says it all.

"Oh so you are! No wonder you have no manners, like your father! Are you a drug addict too?" Michiru, at the same time, noted the face of Royston Houton and Wayne Smith, as well as several other board of directors who raised their eyebrows, including Ethan at Beryl.

Tenoh raised his eyebrows too, but not at Beryl, rather, at Michiru.

Michiru kept her cool, "I'm not going to speak today as I will only be writing the minutes for the meeting-"

"No, no, speak! Tell me, how is your father now?" She said, though Michiru could sense sarcasm.

"He's fine thank you," Michiru replied smoothly.

"Really? But how sad his daughter can't even make it big like him and have to be a peasant who is a stand in secretary for MY meeting."

Michiru kept quiet again and kept her gaze on the table now. An empty white plate was set just blow her chin that clearly reflects her face on the shine of it.

"Uh, Beryl-sama, the agenda for meeting today is to show you the new marketing strategy-" Etan was cut off shortly.

"You clearly are a vermin, are you sure you belong even in this posh restaurant? Eew, the whole place stinks now that I notice you."

Michiru kept her head bowed. She will not give in to the taunts. They haunted her long enough.

"I even ordered my servants to burn all the music CDs your mother and your father had recorded together! They are all rubbish drugs now!"

Ethan looked lost at a Tenoh who seemingly expression is stuck in a blank look. Michiru in her brief glance up, then back down again on the plate. Was she that worthless to her parents? Yes, she agrees. She cannot even protect their namesake. She cannot even…emulate them. What can she do? She's nothing but a failure in the eyes of all he relatives. She did nothing to stop her father from the drug addiction, she did nothing to help. Her mother suffered so much, her father along with his addiction. And all she did…she don't even want to remember the tough times in her childhood. Mihciru clenched her eyes closed and let the abuse come.

"Now I see Mentos accepts vermin…the deal's off, so off! No more Mentos sweet in Daimond store! I will take them all out! I will not sell vermin infested things in it."

"No, no, no Beryl-sama! Please don't do that!" one of the board of directors plead.

"Please, Beryl-sama, we will sack her with effect from immediately!" another pleaded.

"Beryl-sama, I implore you to reconsider your decision," Ethan tried again, to talk to that woman.

Michiru remained clenched eyes but oddly, she felt a touch on her right hand that unknowingly clenched into a fist along with her eyes, under the table cloth. Michiru open her eyes to find Ethan's hand comfortingly on hers. That was…pleasant, to Michiru.

"No consideration, my word is final."

"Surely, Beryl-sama?"

All eyes land on Tenoh, as his clear husky voice sounded over the table.

Beryl glare at Tenoh with her big eyes and scowled.

Tenoh smiled. "Do you know what kind of effect your pull out Mentos Inc. products will have?"

"I don't care," her defiant answer back to Tenoh.

Michiru felt Ethan's hand on hers tighten a little, and was shivering. Is Beryl's business so important? Michiru had no idea this woman was so…influential. Tenoh continued, though "simple, this effect," and with that Tenoh threw his glass cup containing plain water on the floor, smashing it instantly creating a loud crash sound.

Beryl jumped visibly, along with the rest of the people around the table.

"But do you know what effects you had on Kaioh-san just now?" Tenoh, still smiling, said to Beryl; his brilliant green eyes locked with hers. Michiru found his smile a little…scary.

Beryl gulped visibly and audibly.

Tenoh chuckled at that response. Michiru let her eyes trailed over him; he was sitting perfectly calm and relaxed, totally in control of the situation now. What is he, a mind freak or something? Tenoh then took her glass of plain water with his right. "This I the effect…" Tenoh said and let his voice trailed off.

He held the cup by its rims, lifted it high, and smashed it hard on the table, breaking it in his own hand.

Michiru's eyes widened at the blood that was oozing out of Tenoh's hands. Tenoh fling his hand to get rid of the glass shards and coolly taking the napkin prepared for them to wrap his bloodied hand. His face show no sign of pain at all.

"This is how she might have felt inside. Might, it might be worse for all I know. Glad I taught you a lesson, Beryl-sama. Excuse me."

Tenoh stood up and walked away from the table to the exit of the restaurant in everyone's shock. Including Michiru. After a few moments of mouth gaping, Michiru brushed away Ethan's hand on hers and chased after Tenoh.

* * *


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer : I own nothing but the plot. I don't own Sailormoon, neither do I own the name 'Mentos' (I bloody love that sweet!). I do not own ****Cinnamon Coffee and Meeting House too, it is a store from UK that I just happened to googled it and hence, used it. The (kinda vulgar) song used is "Pop that PY" by 2 Live Crew. ****The whole story is fictitious and I'm not getting any money for it. Any relevance to actual living persons or events is entirely coincidental. **

**A/N: I know, this is so looong overdue. I'm really sorry. Kudos to 't' for chasing after me, and Kaze no Tsurugi as well as Vanessa Riverton for their constant nagging, as well as listening to my own constant nagging. They rock! I'm sorry for the long wait and hence, having to read back to actually understand the flow of this chapter. Please read and tell me what you think of it! **

* * *

Michiru stared at the reflection of the person beside her through the shiny dark varnished table.

"I suggest we fire them both for the loss of Daimond's business," Wayne Smith, one of the board of directors of Mentos Inc, said curtly. An American dressed formerly in his suit with thinning brown hair locked his brown eyes briefly with Michiru.

"I agree," Yamamoto Koji, one of the native/local directors on the board of directors, dressed also formally in a suit, agreed.

"Yes," a heavily accented voiced agreement from Russian shareholder turn director, Vladmir Yegor.

Michiru closed her eyes after looked up from the reflection and glanced from one director to another as they spoke out their replies. It was set; she was doomed to get fired from this, and her real undercover job. Nobody from the narcotics bureau, not to mention from the elite special police division, has ever gotten fired from their undercover job. Plus, she's been on this job for only the second week. It is the Monday of her second week in fact…technically she's been on the job for only 7 days. She will go down in history of the police academy. Hopefully Mamoru would understand her position; Setsuna surely won't give her an easy time. It wasn't her fault in the first place; how was she to know that Beryl was such a woman? How was she to know Beryl even knows her family background? She thought as long as she declared to police already beforehand, it couldn't be used again her potentially. Oh how wrong she was. Michiru opened her eyes again to look at the directors sitting around the dark shiny table in a meeting room high on top of the Mentos Inc. building.

"I think the employee is of no fault; we should fire Tenoh-san instead." Royston Houton, the lecherous man who licked his lips every time he looked at Michiru, spoke.

He did it again to Michiru, disgusting. Sometimes she wished she could just stand up and punch that balding, big belly man in his white formal suit, in his face and make him bleed all over his suit.

"A boss should always take responsibility over his employees; regrettably, I agree with Houton-san," the chief of directors, a kind looking Japanese man whose features are etched with worry, spoke, finally.

Michiru looked down on the table to see the expression of Tenoh reflected on the table.

Expressionless.

Bastard.

He looked like he didn't care if he had the job or not; hell he didn't even cared for his injured hand, as if he didn't know he was alive or something. He looked…aloof like usual. Michiru saw his right hand was wrapped simply in a roll of bandage and not even wrapped well. It was still bleeding actually, when Michiru last saw it as he entered the meeting room and took his seat beside her. His suit was intact, surprisingly. Just his hand…and his disappearance.

He has no idea how worried Michiru was for him.

He didn't even look at her once ever since he entered the meeting room.

Bastard.

Michiru couldn't be bothered to spare him another look right in the face. Tenoh just took her concern for him, stamped on it like an arrogant fool who won over a pretty lady, and now coolly facing his own problems.

Concern? Michiru was only concern because of what he did at lunch time…

"Who is in favour of sacking Tenoh only? Can I get a raise of hand from the ten Board of Directors-" the chief spoke and was cut off by the CEO of Mentos Inc, which Michiru also came to know during the time when Tenoh went missing, was the biggest shareholder of the company.

"No," Ethan said.

"But it is good-"

"I run the company, I am the biggest shareholder. I say stay, they stay."

Michiru looked wide eyed at the command of power Ethan holds in his tone, as opposed to the 'janitor' him Michiru was used to.

Murmurs spread throughout the room.

"I don't even know why we are holding an emergency board meeting. I didn't call for one. Daimond wasn't as big a customer as we make them out to be. Yes, it will affect sales, but only on a short term basis. I will have it solve with the aid of Kaioh-san and Tenoh-san. Is there any problems? Or do you not believe my words?" Ethan nonchalantly lashed out his opinions, which instantly silenced the murmurs.

Michiru could only stare at Ethan in awe. This guy is seriously bi-polar. For the past few days all Michiru could think of him as friendly and soft; his soft blue eyes and gently curled brown hair all suggested that. And he's nothing but nice every time Michiru's seen him. Who could have thought he would have this commanding side.

Silence ensued.

"I take the silence as consent? Go now, I have work to do."

Ethan stood up, pulled his coat straight and just walked out of the meeting room. A sound of an office roller chair being pushed back could be heard form beside Michiru, as Tenoh stood up.

"You're a lucky thing, Tenoh," Royston Houton sneered as all the other directors looked on silently.

Michiru stared at the source of the sneer; internal rivalry?

"You better watch your steps, Houton-san," Tenoh replied with the exact same sneer.

"I think you might do well to respect your elders, Tenoh-san," Wayne Smith snubbed in.

Michiru frowned as she shifted her gaze from Royston Houton to Wayne Smith, noticing the same hatred in both their eyes for Tenoh.

"If they're respectable," another curt reply.

Does Tenoh know something? Michiru's mind instantly was put to her spy mode.

Royston Houton got up from his seat and walked to Tenoh, stopping just beside him.

"You don't want to die early, do you?" was the menacing question.

Tenoh remained expressionless, not even looking at Royston Houton.

Royston Houton then gave a loud laugh, and added "so to speak," before walking out of the meeting room continuing his roaring mad laughter.

Michiru, now eyes on Tenoh for the first time after he sat down beside her since walking into the room at half past 1 in the afternoon that day, watches as he shrugs with ease and stared at the other directors with a quizzical look. The other directors then took their leave either in silence or engaged in a whispering conversation with someone. Tenoh stood in his position, while Michiru just sat there. As the murmurs and breathings disappeared, so did the comfort of Michiru being in the same place as Tenoh dissipated. As the seconds pass by and the people leaving, the air was getting stiller. The silence, deafening.

Michiru has no idea why she felt like this, as if she was suppose to say something to address the silence. It felt awkward. Weird, she was supposed to be angry.

Well, she still is.

"Don't you want to stand up and get back to work?" Tenoh's voice, though spoke quite casually, boomed in the meeting room.

Michiru got up from her seat finally, and ignored Tenoh as she walked past him out of the meeting room.

"Hey," Tenoh called after as he tailed her out of the meeting room, past the secretary at that level and to the lift lobby outside, where Michiru pressed the button for the lift.

The lemon was fresh in the lobby; like the main tag line of Mentos 'freshmakers'. The floor is a polished shiny black tiled, and the walls were a perfect shade of silver to complement the black tiles. Michiru stood on one of the tiles and ignored Tenoh standing beside her.

"Scared stiff you were going to lose your job just now?" Tenoh tried.

What a lousy conversation starter. Michiru ignored him still.

Silence returned to the both of them, and the lift seems to be taking ages to come.

"Were you that scared?" Tenoh tried again.

Michiru rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything in response. Tenoh seemed to have noticed that as he tilted his head.

"What's wrong, Kaioh-san?"

Finally, the lift bell rang, indicating the lift has arrived. It was silent for a while until the lift door opened where Michiru walked in, still, ignoring Tenoh. Tenoh followed her in and let the lift door close, enclosing the both of them, alone, in a lift that the backdrop was a glass panel to overlook the outside working environment of the Mentos Inc. building. Michiru stepped forward to press the button of the floor of their both offices when Tenoh's left hand stuck out and held blocked the button for the 16th floor, where the marketing department was.

"Are you angry with me?"

Michiru, not wanting to lose, tried to pry his hand off covering the button but to no avail. Tenoh's hand was firmly on covering the 16th floor button.

"Why?"

"Get your hand off the button before I hurt you over it," Michiru threatened in a low voice.

"Kaioh Michiru, answer me," Tenoh stated firmly.

Finally, Michiru burst, thanks to that rude calling of her full name to answer him. Who is he to command her? "Why? You have the cheek to ask me why? Oh my goodness you are either not a human or you don't have feelings at all. No, maybe you're just plain selfish. Fuck you, Tenoh. Get your hands off the button."

"Vulgarities don't fit a lady like you," Tenoh retorted defiantly.

"Who are you to tell me that, asshole? I don't use vulgarities at all, but for you, I make an exception. Now get your hands off the button."

"What did I do?" Tenoh locked his brilliant green eyes with Michiru and stared at her bewilderedly.

"What did you not do?" Michiru narrowed her deep blue eyes into slits and stared back.

"What?" Tenoh asked again.

"What what?" Michiru raised her voice irritatedly.

"What what what?" Tenoh repeated, Michiru thought he sounded like a parrot with his suddenly uncharacteristic high voice that sounded like a female.

Odd for a man.

Michiru, deciding enough was enough, pinched Tenoh's thin layer of flesh on his left hand with her left hand's fingernails. And she pinched it hard, real hard. He persisted putting his hand there. Michiru then grappled his arm hard with her right arm to pull it away from the button panel. Tenoh, however, pressed his whole bodyweight on his arm as his face frowned in response to the immense pinching pain Michiru is putting him under. Michiru let out a frustrated groan at her futile efforts as she stopped pulling his left arm with her right arm, but proceeded to desperately slapping and pinching of his arm. Suddenly Michiru felt like a school girl.

"Stop, covering, the, damned, button!" Michiru slapping his arm with every word she said.

"DAMN YOOOOOU!" Michiru slapped repeatedly and furiously.

And the lift bell rang and the door opened, to about a crowd of ten pairs of eyes staring at their mayhem; a hysterical expressional Michiru with her right arm on a very reddened part of Haruka's left arm with her left hand's fingernails already dug through his left hand till they were bleeding on their marks, and a frowning silent Tenoh.

It was then, they realized the lift had moved in their furry of violence to the first floor and opened its doors to a crowd of co-workers in Mentos Inc.

Oops.

* * *

"You said you saw Kou Taiki talking to Wayne Smith and you were bribed by a man named Kou Seiya?" Setsuna questioned this security guard whom Michiru brought on Friday night.

The man in question, still in his Mentos Inc security uniform though disheveled by the three days detention stay on the grounds of bribery and internal security act, nodded his head.

"How did Kou Taiki look like?"

"I didn't see his face…"

"Don't lie; you know what will happen to you," Setsuna waved her baton on her hand. "Undr the normal detention rules we can't touch you, but under the internal security act, we can do anything we want as long you're not dead and we get the information."

"N-n-no, t-the man Wayne Smith, I know his voice from anywhere. He greets me every time I see him! He addressed the other man who was a local Japanese speaker as Kou Taiki, that's why I know!"

"How did the guy who bribed you look like?" Setsuna, sensing it is the truth.

"Silver long hair, green eyes. He pointed a gun at me! Saying if I don't keep the money I will lose my head!" The man cried out. "I didn't want to get bribed…I don't even know it is bribable information…"

"Did he leave you any information regarding himself?"

"No…"

Setsuna sighed, "what did he smell like? How did he give you the money?"

"H-he done packed it into a bag and gave it to me, full of Japanese currency notes!"

Setsuna sighed again and clicked her fingers to motion someone from outside the interrogation room that were staring at the process through a glass window (visible to the outsiders only, but not to the pople inside the interrogation room), to bring in the exact thing the man described, though packed in plastic bag as the men she sent to his home found it kept it in plastic.

"Is it this?"

The man nodded furiously.

Setsuna opened up the plastic bag and immediately, a waft of currency and some other smell filled the room.

"Cinnamon smell, how odd," Setsuna frowned at looked at the glass window where she knows exactly where Mamoru is standing.

Mamoru suddenly thought of something.

* * *

Haruka sat behind her office desk as she dap the nail cuts that Michiru left on her. They were pretty deep, judging on how much they actually hurt and the amount of blood. Bruises also appeared on Haruka's left arm after the drama at the left; Michiru sure hit her hard.

Haruka really, wondered why. Hadn't Haruka helped her at lunch? Or was Haruka more of hindrance and made Michiru angry with her 'revenge' gesture? Which comes to the point which makes Haruka ponder even more.

Why did she even bother?

Her desk phone rang at this point. With a swift movement, Haruka pressed the speaker phone button on her desk phone with her right hand and resumed dapping her wound on her left, in the process, noticing the right was a little bleeding still, despite the bandages over it.

"Tenoh speaking."

"Haruka-san? Ami here. Are you okay? You've been un-contactable since lunch time."

"Really?" Haruka stopped her dabbing and fished around her pockets in her pants and coat for her cell phone. "I don't have my cell phone with me…" Haruka trailed off and began standing up and looking for it.

"It's okay Haruka-san; as long as you are safe. I've heard about the emergency board meeting too. Anyways, the point of this call is to notify you that the police seem have a new lead over the whereabouts of Kou Yaten and his lackeys after the recent operations."

"Really?" Haruka, flipping her files and books, finally finding her cell phone.

"I heard they're leads was the cinnamon smell found in the stacks of currency notes used to bribe a security guard who was working in Mentos Inc that overheard the conversation between supposedly, Kou Taiki and Wayne Smith."

"Really?" Haruka frowned. She hardly forgot anything, why did she forget her cell phone when she was going out for lunch meeting? Looking at her cell phone, Haruka saw the most incredulous thing.

'_30 missed calls'_

Haruka frowned as she pressed the button on her cell phone to continue.

'_8 new messages'_

"For real. And they are setting the police out to scour the entire Tokyo area, especially the port sides, for strong cinnamon smelling places. The already searching police have been notified of the discovery, others are preparing for deployment-"

"Cinammon smelling places?" Haruak questioned, before her attention swings back to the little machine in her hand now, as she pressed the missed calls list.

'_25 missed calls from Kaioh Michiru, 2 missed calls from Mizuno Ami, 3 missed calls from Yano Ethan'_

25? From Kaioh Michiru?

"Yes, seems like they're targeting farm areas and factory areas. They believe the group could behidden in one of those places which contributed to the strong cinnamon smell in the notes given." Haruka pressed the button to open up her text inbox and looked through them, not responding to Ami at all.

'_Where are you? –Kaioh'_

Haruka pressed the down button on her cell phone keypad with her left hand.

'_Emergency staff meeting on you and Michiru-san, come back soon. –Ethan'_

"Haruka-san?" Haruka pressed the down button again.

'_Please, pick up my call. –Kaioh'_

Haruka pressed the down button again.

'_Michiru-san is worried; she called me more than 5 times to ask about you. Man, call her already. –Ethan'_

"Are you still there? Haruka-san?" Haruka pressed it again.

'_Where are you Tenoh?! Are you alright? –Kaioh'_

And again.

'_Tenoh, please answer me! –Kaioh'_

Again.

'_Stop being childish this is not cool nor fun, answer me! –Kaioh'_

"Haruka-san, are you alright?" Haruka frowned. What made Michiru thought she was playing a game?

'_Tenoh Haruka, as much as I hate to but I would like to know how are you, please contact me as soon as possible. –Kaioh'_

Was this the reason she was so angry?

"Haruka-san!" Ami bellowed through the speaker phone, snapping Haruka out of her trance.

"Yes, yes, sorry Ami-san could you repeat what you said just now? I was…distracted," Haruka said, still staring at the incredible short messages she gotten from Michiru.

"You are rarely distracted, Haruka-san. Is anything wrong?" Ami's voice concerns.

"No, no, not that I think so," Haruka replied.

But Ami was right, she was hardly distracted. But suddenly she felt it was hard to concentrate on anything but on why Michiru was angry with her.

Why?

"Ah yes, Ami-san, continue what you were saying…"

* * *

"Yes, yes…hmmm…Cinnamon, got it. Bye old virgin."

Michiru was in the foulest mood she had been in months as she hung up her phone. No, screw that, in years. If school was hell, eating three meals of nothing but sweet potatoes was hell, breaking all the skin on her hands trying to climb up an obstacle course in police training was hell, then today, was the deepest depths of hell. And the worst thing?

The day hasn't even ended.

Michiru glared at the figure of Tenoh looking concentrated on his cell phone. Oh, so now he's mulling over his cell phone and surely someone else. He didn't give a shit about her 30 missed calls and desperate texts. Yet he's now pouring over someone else. How nice. Whoever that someone else is, Michiru couldn't care less. The day only gets worse as the minute goes by. Now she has to work for her real job even though she's dead tired from the events that transpired in Mentos Inc. Michiru sighed as she broke her gaze from the figure through the glass wall from her seat to look at the purple eyes staring at her belonging to Hino Rei.

"Are you homosexual or something? Because you've been staring at me so hard and long I think you're interested in me," Michiru stated, challenging the long time stare from Rei.

"Did you receive the information on the latest lead codenamed: old virgin has found?" Rei retorted, paying no mind to Michiru's taunt.

Like, duh. "Yeah, obviously."

"What happened between you and Tenoh?"

"Is that your real reason for wanting to talk to me?"

Rei immediately flushed red, much to Michiru's slight surprise. "I…no…I'm just j-curious for my subordinate."

"Subordinate? Hey it doesn't mean that you're from the green people and I'm from the dark blue ones that it makes you my boss," Michiru, irritated, retorted.

"Why you have no respect for the milit-" and Rei was cut off by Michiru's flying paper clip aimed at her face.

"Unprofessional," Michiru firmly chided.

"You're not my boss, who are you to-"

"Kaioh-san."

Michiru looked up to find a pair of green eyes just directly staring into hers. The green eyes lost its intensity, but not its brilliance.

"Let's start our sales recovery project with this," with that, Tenoh handed her a piece of advertisement he seemed to have gotten by fax.

'_Cinnamon Coffee and Meeting House - We hope you enjoy looking around. As you will discover, Cinnamon is much more than just a café – whether you visit alone or in a group, there is __plenty to entertain you__. Why not dip into our library of books, newspapers and magazines, play a board game or enjoy one of our regular arts events like poetry readings or acoustic music?_'

"What has them got to do with Mentos Inc., as if they would even sell our products," Michiru brushed away the advertisement and put it aside, in the midst of her pile of unending work.

"Everything, Kaioh-san, half an hour," Tenoh said, leaving her desk and walking back to his desk.

"I can't believe you snubbed him!" Rei exclaimed loudly as she heard Tenoh's office door shut close.

"If you're so interested in working with him why don't you do the job?" Michiru offered, taking the advert she put aside just now and holding it out stretched for Rei to take.

"No way!" Rei shook her hands to emphasis her rejection, "I don't think I can handle a day with him without dying out of breath…can we both go?"

Michiru tossed the advert casually back on top of her stack of papers and files on the side of her desk.

"I'm not the boss here," Michiru replied nonchalantly, eyes and hands back on her desktop computer, multitasking between the 20 years of Mentos Inc data entry job and looking for places on the internet with strong smelling cinnamon-

Michiru hands moved swiftly in reflex and grab the advert she tossed, looking at it.

"Yes, Rei, let's go, now."

"What?" Rei looked up at Michiru as purple locked with enlightened blue ones.

"Call Tenoh…that you can do to get close to him."

Rei picked up the phone, then changed her mind and started adjusting her outfit as well as her hair, straightening them and grabbing her belongings.

"Is he that attractive?" Michiru said with a sigh as she looked on Rei and her futile attempts to get that iceman to notice her.

Rei ignored her and got up, walked straight to Tenoh's room in a catwalk style and opened the door quite theatrically. Standing straight like how a proud business woman should be, Rei bowed slightly and closed the door to Tenoh's room. Michiru noticed a short conversation ensued out of her earshot…and poor Rei; Tenoh only briefly glanced at her, nodded, and looked back at his file on his desk.

About five seconds later, Tenoh looked through the glass wall at Michiru, and actually smiled, at Michiru. But Michiru scowled and looked away.

Tenoh, frowning, stood up and walked out of the room with an obviously flushed Rei.

Michiru, taking her cell phone along intentionally leaving her wallet behind, followed to them to the lift lobby, where Rei, got her courage from the prior contact with Tenoh.

"Haruka-san! How exciting working life is…the first day of my work and I'm going on a field trip!" Rei, standing a little too close to Tenoh, asked.

Michiru stood behind them two like an outsider while Tenoh looked aloof like usual.

"I love field trips! I think it beats staying at the office all day, doesn't it? You like any sports, Haruka-san?" Rei flirted on, as if Michiru was non-existent.

Tenoh nodded his head slightly in response as he turned his head to look at Rei in the eye with a slight smile, like a perfect gentleman. "I like running."

"Oh me too! We should run together some time, Haruka-san. You know, get fit together."

Tenoh smiled a little in response, though he said nothing.

"Do you like playing golf? I love golf too! It's a game that-" Rei's continued probing was met by the interruption of the lift bell ringing it's arrival, and Michiru could almost swear she heard Tenoh actually sighed in relief.

Not that Rei was about to stop.

"As I was saying, golf was a game that that involves patience. We all know patience is a hard earned virtue isn't it? Well that's what I love about golf too, a slow paced game that involves hard thinking and planning; it puts physical difference on par doesn't it? One of the little sports that does that-"

Tenoh interrupted semi-rudely, yet politely, "I don't like golf, Hino-san."

Michiru stayed silent.

"Oh. But maybe I could take you to try it out once? I mean, it might be because the first time you were with someone that didn't bring the out well to you. It's like being on dinner date; maybe your date was not good and hence you didn't like the food in the restaurant as a result of the date. If you went there again with another person at another time, you might like it instead!" Rei said excitedly Michiru thought probably because she has successfully mould her way to being 'this' close to asking Tenoh out on a date herself.

The lift bell rang, indicating they've arrived at the ground floor.

Tenoh walked out with Rei in tow behind him while Michiru waited for a further 3 seconds before she followed behind them. Goodness she felt so out of place that it was no joke, and it made her kind of irritated.

"So what do you say, Haruka-san? Should we go for golf game like-"

Tenoh halted abruptly in the middle of the first floor lobby and turned around to face Rei.

"Why not dinner tonight, Hino-san?" in the husky voice Michiru thought was the perfect pick up voice.

What the hell?!

What is Tenoh talking about?!

Michiru stopped in her tracks just nicely distanced behind that two, seemingly in their own world. Just nice for hearing, just nice for being out of their line of sight.

Tenoh interested in Rei?!

"I would love to, Haruka-san," Rei said in the cheesiest voice, Michiru almost puked.

Tenoh gave another slight smile, as he turned and continued walking to his car outside the building. Rei turned around a gave a thumbs up at a disgusted Michiru; beaming so widely it showed her full set of front teeth and red flushed cheeks with happiness and infatuation.

Michiru stared in wild shock.

She felt the day just got worse than worst.

* * *

Kou Yaten shook his head as he sat in front of the café situated in the outskirts of Tokyo, which doubled up as the rare cinnamon harvest area in Japan. It's been 2 days since the drug bust failure of the police; he has yet to come up with a plan to recover the goods that the police made away with. Taiki, was going to have his head, for sure, in the event Yaten ever see his brother.

Kingdom…is a screwed up concept in his mind. Seiya has tried numerous times to convince him of the feasibility of Kingdom's existence, but none sank down in him. Yaten doesn't understand; why does his forefathers' feud has to get carried down into a generation that has nothing to do the feud at all. What has Taiki have in mind?

Did Taiki really think it was possible to restore absolute monarchial rule over Japan?

Better still, with him as King? Since he is the oldest brother, after all.

Actually, Yaten even doubt Taiki knows how Japan looks like now. Yaten, of all his 20 years of life, has never even heard of his oldest brother being in Japan. In Japan, to confuse authorities, the here identities of the are jumbled up on purpose, with Seiya taking on the identity of Kou Taiki in name, and Yaten just floating around his own name and Seiya's name.

What is Kingdom actually?

"Hello!" an enthusiastic female voice sounded, blocking Yaten out of his thoughts.

"Welcome! Please take a seat inside our café!" Yaten said, in all respect, like how a waiter as suppose to greet.

"I want to have some cinnamon coffee; and take a look around, for my project. My name is Aino Minako! A student from Tokyo!"

Yaten smiled, as he unknowingly led the blonde cop, dressed in simple shorts and her old high school t-shirt, into the café.

* * *

"What, a, car" Rei exclaimed as Tenoh opened the car door to the passenger seat for Michiru and Rei.

Tenoh cocked his head questioningly as Michiru just got into the BMW Z4 M Roadster for a second time for that day without talking to Tenoh. Rei followed excitedly after, who earned a glare from Michiru in the car for her 'un-professionalism'.

Tenoh got in and started the car, with the radio playing "Dvořák: Slavonic Dance #2 In E Minor, Op. 72" out.

Rei looked more and more impressed with Tenoh by the second, while Michiru just gets more pissed off, for some reason.

"Wow Haruka-san, never thought you was a classical music enthusiast!" Rei exclaimed.

Michiru scowled, Tenoh just have to be so bloody perfect, doesn't he?

"Classical music soothes me" Tenoh answered as a-matter-of-factly.

"Do you play any instrument?" Rei asked.

Seriously, Michiru never ever felt so invisible in her life before.

"Piano," Tenoh replied.

"I want to learn the piano too! I only know how to sing…I was the singing champion for my high school when I was in high school! But that was a long time ago…though I'm sure I haven't lost my vocals all that much," Rei bragged, laughing a little slyly and sparing a sideways glance at an uncaring Michiru.

Michiru stared out of the window as the car sped and slowed and stopped.

"Oh, that's great," Tenoh's reply, which sounded a little too enthusiastic if you ask Michiru.

Then again, Michiru needs to note she and Tenoh are probably on different talking frequencies now.

"I like that classical song Flamingo Lake too! The one, you know," and Rei started humming the tune of 'Swan Lake' instead.

Michiru honestly, became really pissed. It' enough they were treating her like a wooden doll; but this? This is blatant stamping on famous works! "It's Swan Lake, Hino-san. Honestly, if you don't know you don't have to say it." With that, Michiru looked away, out of the car window.

"I-I-I knew! I was just-"

"She was just trying to be nice to me, Kaioh-san, forgive her ignorance."

Fuck that. Why is Tenoh even protecting Rei?! Michiru is the one suffering here…okay they want to play bad, she can play evil.

"Then forgive me because I prefer other songs. Why don't we hear the songs that are from my own cell phone? It is mp3 enabled and it boasts a set of good speakers! I love the freaking hot songs too!"

With that Michiru whipped out her cell phone, turned on the volume loudest, and played songs she used to blend in with party crowds. The whole car journey to the outskirts of Tokyo to the Cinnamon Coffee and Meeting House was nothing but silence on their part, and her phone blaring:

"_Pop that pussy! Heyyy!_

_Pop that pussy, baby!_

_Pop that pussy!_

_Pop, pop that pussy, baby!"_

* * *

Minako really liked this place. The whole place was a piece of greenery; a far cry from the usual metallic feel Tokyo gives her. Since she spends probably most of her life in Tokyo; coming out to the outskirts was a big breath of fresh air. At the café, cinnamon smell wafts everywhere. It is not too strong that it becomes unbearable, but it is just nice. The sweet smell complementing the summer wind of a bright sunny day in Tokyo. The café plays English oldies from the 1970s too, creating this ambience of a slowed down pace, much contrasting to what she used to in Tokyo itself.

Sitting down inside the wooden building that looked run down from the front, but cozy on the inside, Minako let the young man who greeted her earlier serve her. It was open air, hence, it was quite arm inside the café. But the greenery surrounding and light wind do serve as a offsetting to that disadvantage of the absence of indoor dining.

"Cinnamon coffee for you, little lady," the silver haired, green eyed waiter put the glass of coffee on her table.

Minako beamed back at the pleasant looking man with all smiles. How can a place like this contain terrorists? Maybe she would leave after the coffee.

"So you say you're here to find out things for a project?" the man asked her.

Minako nodded as she sipped her coffee, letting out an uncharacteristic moan of satisfaction.

The man chuckled, "may I?"

Minako nodded, as he took a seat beside her. Minako noted he probably is young, since he looks like someone just out of high school doing a part time job at the café during his summer break. He sounds young too, with a high voice for a man.

"So what are you looking for?"

"Oh we need to do a project on the commercial uses of cinnamon…and I happened to come across this little café here!" Minako said excitedly like a schoolgirl, the line she rehearsed pretty a lot of times the whole day already as the police started out a nation-wide comb for Kingdom's hideout.

"Oh you see here…coffee," the man smiled and said.

"It's really good! And I mean REALLY. Can I have some samples of the cinnamon coffee beans? Please? Or…do I have to pay for it?"

"Follow me, Aino-san" the man smiled and stood up, motioning for Minako to follow him to the back of the café to the preparation area.

"Speaking!"

Yaten brought the girl he knew as Aino Minako into the backroom where the coffee beans was stored. He doesn't know about what Kingdom could benefit people with the success of their operations…but he sure knows he is doing a good thing helping this girl wither school work. He envied normal people…they get to go to school, do projects with their friends, they get to make friends, they get to learn. Everyday Yaten learnt how to shoot and kill, and how nobody is a friend, and how teamwork is essential for the sole reason it gives the enemies other people to shoot at.

He wants innocence…too.

"Here, this coffee beans. You smell them, cinnamon yeah?" Yaten took a handful of the beans and held it for Minako to hold.

Minako accepted it and took a waft of it. Instantly, a beaming smile covered her face, which instantly made Yaten happy. He made someone outside of Kingdom smile; something he didn't do very often.

"This is so nice! It smells like heaven! Oh my goodness can I have them?"

Yaten nodded, seeing the smile never leaving the blonde girl's face.

"For free?"

"I'll give you anything you want from this store if it helps you," Yaten assured.

Yaten see Minako break into a victory dance like a little child, happy and expresses it by moving his limbs around excitedly. How innocent, how enviable, how…intriguing.

"Oh my, can I take home for my parents too? I want them to try the coffee too, and for my best friend too! I got a best friend who loves coffee more than she loves anything in the world! And some for my boss...-sy teacher!" Minako squealed, despite her slip up.

Yaten just smiled, "actually, I can teach you how to make them. It's very easy once you have cinnamon fruit and any brands of coffee beans would do."

"Really?" Minako's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yeah, so you won't have to come all the way out here from Tokyo for coffee."

"But that means I won't get to see you again?" Minako pouted.

Yaten had to laugh at that.

No, wait.

"You'll miss me?" Yaten asked incredulously.

Minako nodded furiously like how a child would, though honestly, she would like to seriously befriend the young man in front of her.

Yaten thought only family misses each other. People who love each other misses other. What…is this? "You love me?"

Minako's eyes bulged out.

* * *

Michiru let the cinnamon smell takeover her senses as she stepped out of Tenoh's car. After the hellish literally sounding car ride, it was refreshing to hear nothing but cricket calling and rustles of leaves blown by the light summer wind. Her tranquility, however, was broke by Rei stepping out of the car behind her.

"I feel so…hippy hoppy…" as Rei balances herself after the non-stop blasting of rap and hip hop songs in the car ride.

Michiru turned around and saw Tenoh came out of the car, unfazed by the car ride, but a little more relaxed than he looked in the car.

"This place looks good…" Rei started, as she finally took a good look at the café.

Michiru added mentally, a perfect disguise.

"Well let's go convince the owner to sell Mentos here" Tenoh announced.

Michiru frowned now. She hadn't thought of it earlier, but now, it suddenly dawn her. Why did Tenoh pick this place of all places? Tenoh should've known this place was run down since he knew how to drive till here; he surely must have looked at a map. Tenoh also should know a coffee house would hardly sell any sweets as refreshments; much less a cinnamon coffee house. Was Tenoh…?

All her suspicions from Saturday night resurfaced again.

"Well, let's go in, shall we?" Rei then marched on.

Michiru thinks Rei forgot all about her real job.

Inside the café, they were greeted by the sight of an empty café, with a shockingly familiar looking bag to Michiru.

"Hello?" Rei tried.

Tenoh knocked on the front counter thrice.

Michiru, too busy with the sight of Minako's bag, didn't notice when a big build man was up behind her, and tapped her from behind. Michiru flinched and swung her body 180 degrees to be face to face with the big build man. The man, who look nothing at all friendly but dressed relatively like a normal Japanese local, though his features Michiru swear, could be easily Eurasian.

"Welcome," the deep voice bellowed.

"We uh, want to see the boss of this café."

"He is out," came the short reply.

"How about the 2nd boss?" Michiru tried again.

"He is out too," the man's firm reply.

"Look, we want your boss, we don't want you. Get your boss out here," Rei stepped up to say.

"He is not around," came the repeated reply.

Michiru immediately sense something was not right. But Minako? Or is it just the same bag different person?

"What do you city dwellers want from us?" A male voice came from the entrance of the café that Michiru, Haruka and Rei had just passed through.

"We just want to speak to your boss," Rei reiterated.

"For?"

"See, we're from Mentos Inc. and-"Immediately the man came in and shut the door, and clicked his fingers. In an instant, from all doors into the main area of the café, about 2 dozen men appeared and surrounded them.

"Send for the boss, they're dead meat" the man who shut the door said.

"Yes."

* * *

**A/N: I WILL UPDATE FASTER! etches it on stone**


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. I don't own Sailormoon, Kiyokawa Village (I nicked the name off Google map LOL), Samsung Tocco (cos Vanessa Riverton has got that phone and I thought it was cool so I used it), neither do I own the name 'Mentos' (I bloody love that sweet!). The whole story is fictitious and I'm not getting any money for it. Any relevance to actual living persons or events is entirely coincidental. Special thanks to Vanessa Riverton for her contribution on the knowledge of firearms!**

A/N: LOL this is it, the end of the part one. WOOOHOOO. No, the story has not ended, but at least it's one third done plot-wise! Thanks for all the reviews too, particularly to all those who have been reviewing every chapter. You guys are my motivation! Those silent readers out there, let me know who you are too! And how you think of this story… Love you reviewers and readers!

I will update soon! (Etches it on another stone)

* * *

Ethan shook his head as his eyes fixate on the text message Haruka had sent him earlier on. His Samsung Tocco phone showed a simple address of "_Kiyokawa Village, __Cinnamon Coffee and Meeting House. Kou Yaten in danger_."

Picking up his office phone, Ethan dialed an extension line directly linking him to his secretary outside, Tsukino Usagi.

"Usagi-san?"

"Yes?" The sweet voice of his blonde secretary sounded.

"Call the cops to Kiyokawa Village. Tell them we've located the drugs' location…as well as Kingdom. I'm going there as well. I won't be back for today anymore."

"B-b-but I have no evidence-"

Ethan had to chuckle at Usagi's innocence. He peered out of the glass walls of his office to see Tsukino Usagi obviously in a flurry at his instructions. Poor girls like her shouldn't be working for Mentos Inc. Ethan hung up the phone and grabbed his coat as he walked out of his office at the top floor of Mentos Inc. building.

"Eh?! Yano-sama?!"

Ethan tapped her from behind.

Usagi turned around and her bright blue eyes stared in evident shock into his dirty blue ones. She breathed deeply in shock as Ethan leaned in on purpose and narrowed the distance of their faces. Her cute features crunched up in evident fear of their closer distance.

"Just say you're Mrs. Yano Ethan."

"What?! Yano-sama! I-I-I-"

Ethan laughed as he stood up straight. "I'm kidding; just say it's from me."

Usagi let out the breath she's been holding as she watched her boss walk out to the lift lobby and waited around for the lift.

"Hello? Police division? I'm calling from Mentos Inc. on behalf of Yano Ethan-sama…"

The lift bell rang and footsteps were heard. A while later, the lift door could be heard closing and Usagi knew her boss was no longer around anymore.

"He wants to convey the message that the drugs and Kingdom has been found…Yes…he requests you send people there…yes…at Kiyo…Kiyo…"

Usagi suddenly slap herself hard on the head.

She forgot the village's name!

* * *

"We're…friends?" Minako answered, unsure of the correct one, if there is even one.

"Friends? You take me as a friend?" The silver haired man repeated as if he has never heard of someone being friends with him.

Minako felt so strange with this silver haired man. She cannot exactly pinpoint the reason for this man's overtly friendliness and niceness to her, but still, it felt so right…yet wrong for some unknown reason. For now she should just take him at face value.

"Friends, yes, you know we talk so well and you are so nice," Minako nods periodically as she spoke, with a constant bright smile on her face.

She didn't want to scare off this man, whoever he is.

"Thank you…I've never had friends before…" The young man spoke with such sadness and joy that Minako swore she felt a sudden urge to lunge at him and hug him.

Lunge? What a weird thing.

"I will be your friend too, Aino Minako-san!" the young man happily proclaimed.

Minako didn't think making friends would be such a joy for anyone. "Okay…let's start, what's your name?"

"Boss-"A distant voice could be heard shouted at their direction which made the young man look up to the direction of the source of the voice. He puts his arm up instantly silencing the man.

So odd, how commanding.

The young man looked at Minako squared in the face as his bright green eyes shone happily at her, "we'll talk a bit later, please wait for me here!"

Minako nodded.

This new friend of hers is…odd.

* * *

Suddenly, all Michiru could think of was Tenoh's injured hands. He's a civilian, for goodness sake, or so he is with her having no proof that he is someone more than a civilian. And this is a situation where no police, no soldier (Michiru shot a glance at Rei), would want to get into; being held at gunpoint with a civilian. Technically, she and Rei are hostages...with a civilian. As usual, Tenoh looked aloof. Even with his face sideways pressed against the table he managed to keep it straight, showing no signs of pain or disturbance at all, not even a frown. That guy seriously doesn't care for anything in the world, does he?

"Mentos Inc. are a bunch of scums, aren't you guys?"

A man with unkempt hair, unshaven face with tanned features and a war ragged face spoke in thickly accented Japanese. He also had a lit cigarette sticking out of his mouth. He stood cross-armed as he looked down at the three of them, pinned down onto a circular wooden table in the café in a bending position with their faces sideways on the tables, involuntarily. There were men pointing a handgun on their heads with one hand and pushing them against the table in the other hand, which they couldn't see their features. Ever since they walked in and Rei announced they were from Mentos Inc., the men had, in a lightning flash, pressed them down on the same table with guns pointing their head. And the three of them had been in that position ever since then. The neck ache is starting to get to Michiru. Funny, the thoughts she thinks of when she's in such a precarious situation.

"Which of you is the leader?" A gruff voice sounded, alo in a thickly accented Japanese voice.

There was a pause as Michiru fumbled her thoughts. Deciding that she should take responsibility for their captive, Michiru croaked her throat and opened her mouth.

"Me," all three of them answered.

Three pairs of eye look around at each other across the tiny round wooden table. It smelled heavily of cinnamon.

The man who asked the question sighed and repeated, "Which of you is THE leader?"

"Me!" all three answered again, oddly.

Michiru sent a pressed glare at Rei. She understands why Tenoh is compelled to answer, but Rei? Who says she's boss?

Rei's purple eyes glare back at her own deep blue ones. "I am the boss," Rei says resolutely, and continues "I represent Mentos Inc in any business they have to do with you."

Michiru heard Tenoh sighed quite audibly as she tried to squirm without much body movement to look at the man with the gruff voice. "Who sent you here?"

"Tenoh…sama," Rei answered, much to Michiru's shock.

Michiru glanced from purple eyes to brilliant green ones that frowned now.

"Could it be that 'Tenoh'?" a whisper was heard as the room fell dead silent except for that brave whisper across the atmosphere.

"Or else she'd said Yano," replied another.

Murmurs then broke across the room in languages that Michiru could not comprehend. But Michiru tried to listen for any familiar words, all the while looking at a Tenoh who now had his eyes closed as Rei keep shooting worried glances at him. Michiru sighed inwardly as Rei, realizing Tenoh is not going to ope his eyes, now shot her worried glance to Michiru. As if eyes could talk, Michiru could actually feel Rei being scared. Getting a reaction like this was not at all expected; Rei thought Tenoh would be some foreign name to them and expect them to turn violent, not discursive. In the event they turn violent, Michiru and Rei would be able to see their lapses in concentration as well as their leader, but this, is plain confusion.

A shadow casted over Rei and in an instant, Rei was lifted from the table, by what methods Michiru had no idea, though Michiru could see that Rei was grabbed from behind. A young voice sounded over, a very familiar young male's voice that had no accent in the Japanese he spoke:

"What did Tenoh Enya want with us?"

Kou Yaten.

Michiru noted Tenoh's eyes opened instantly as Yaten spoke.

"T-Tenoh Enya?" Rei, faltering under the stress of her being held back.

"The person who sent you, her name is Tenoh, no?"

"Y-y-yes…erm…she said…to…"

"You're lying" the Yaten person straight away concluded.

"I-I-I-No! I'm-"

"Liars should be punished," Yaten said, and instantly Michiru heard a gun clicked readied.

Rei visibly froze. Michiru's mind flew into a flurry of fast-forwarded simulation as she contemplate how to break out of this hold, save Rei, get Tenoh, and beat them all. Sounds impossible, listing them out. She has a dozen men plus one more Kou Yaten to deal with, all armed. Michiru only has an M9 handgun with two hostages; and she's betting Rei doesn't even have a single weapon on body. Military aren't trained to deal with hostage situations, as far as Michiru knows. Or else the special police force will be put out of job. Tenoh…let's pray to God he knows how to shield himself. Tenoh looks athletic to Michiru; but in this kind of situation, even Olympic record holders will lose their nerves.

Tenoh is a civilian, hence Michiru's first priority for safety, and for Rei too.

Before the gunman holding the firearm readied to strike at Rei, Michiru summoned all her strength to swing her arms behind in 180 degrees to deal a blow to her restrainer's face and knock him out. Then in one desperate movement, Michiru lunged towards the gunman in a split second, knocking the gun out of placement as she grabbed Tenoh and Rei covered them with her body. She flipped the table that supported the three of their faces only just a while ago and flipped it to cover them as she pulled out her M9 from her hidden gun pouch under her skirt around her thigh and began firing. The table was sturdy enough for a few bullets, but definitely not forever.

The Kingdom terrorists start to fire profusely at them behind the table, hoping to catch them off guard and shoot them dead. Michiru realized all of them had firearms with them, just hidden.

"Thanks," Rei shouted as the shots fired directly at their table as the cover.

"Thank me if we're alive after this!" Michiru shouted back, then going over to fire a single shot which hit a man on his right chest area before ducking quickly back behind the flipped table.

Michiru glanced at Tenoh, who was struggling to fit into the empty space of the circular, but his face...not even a hint of fright. Just a small frown.

Maybe he has some shock treatment in young which spoiled his facial expression nerves.

Anyways, the bullets rained on them as Michiru fired on the few desperately close targets that decided to do a kamikaze and charged towards them firing like mad.

"We need to get out of this table!"

"COME OUT YOU MENTOS SCUMS!" Someone shouted amidst of all the firing.

"How?!" Michiru shouted back as the shots fired seemingly doubled after that rally of threat.

The three of them were silent behind the table for a while as the commotion outside of the table continued, before Tenoh suddenly stretched his hand out.

"Give me the gun," Tenoh said calmly and audibly to Michiru.

"No! Tenoh you are a civilian and not-"

"Give me the gun," Tenoh repeated in the same manner fashion he always did.

"You! You don't get emotions do you?! We are facing a life and death situation here and it is not up to you some superman who is not scared of pain and all to bear! We are-"

"Do prefer to die rather than give me the gun?" Michiru finally found herself listening to a firm commanding Tenoh Haruka as his green eyes bore into her with fierceness.

Reluctantly, Michiru relented. She hung the gun on one finger letting it point downwards as she reached across a traumatic Rei to hand Tenoh the gun. Tenoh, upon taking the gun, looked up and fired a few shots at the lights and the cracked lines of the ceilings.

"We don't have much bullet to waste Tenoh!!" Michiru shouted over the noise.

"When I fire another shot, we grab the table and run to the counter!!" Tenoh shouted.

"How?! Why?!" Michiru asked

"Hino-san?!" Tenoh shouted.

Rei merely nodded.

Michiru had no choice but to nod as well. Rei is too much in shock to move and Tenoh is simply too commanding.

"Ready…1,2-"

And Tenoh fired the last shot. In that instance, the three of them grabbed the table and ran like headless chickens to the reception counter which was just to their left in a straight line. At the same time, a crack and a second later, a loud crash could be heard and lot of debris were flying around, blurring the path of the three of them.

That instant, Michiru realize Tenoh had actually shot at the ceiling to bring it down and cover their run, making full advantage of the café being dilapidated as a small wooden building.

Smart ass.

Now, all three of them, ducked under the counter of the little café, had some few seconds to rest.

* * *

Gunshots.

Minako was certain that gunshots were coming out of the far end of the plot of land that held cinnamon plants, coffee beans and the café itself. She was at the other far end of the land, where all the supplies were stored. But the gunshots were loud, numerous and distinct, no trained policeman, heck, no war game addict would miss it. Handguns and machine guns firing. Well the machine guns sound more like Skorpions and Mini-Uzi.

She was right…that young man she just befriended is not simple guy. For all she knows, he might be just part of Kingdom and the drug chain she is meaning to bust.

Getting her M9 handgun out from her hidden gun pouch on her inner thigh, Minako sought to enter the café cautiously from the way she came from.

* * *

Yaten, in the midst of the gunfire, did a stupid thing.

Yes, for the first time, he let stupidity get better of him and risked his life, running close towards the single firing M9 to grab Aino Minako's bag to salvage it. At least she was innocent, her stuff is as innocent as her. Yaten should probably go back and check on her. But the ceiling fell thanks to the smart thinking of one of the Mentos Inc person, and they hid on the counter which is the the only way round to the back of the plot of land to the backroom where Minako is. Yaten had to think fast.

A dozen of his men continued firing while the three or four are heading back to their truck parked outside to get more weapons and keep on a look out for outsiders. With the commotion they're making, it's not hard for someone to walk by and simply call the police on the spot. Minako was the central of his worries. For the first time, Yaten actually worried about someone outside of his brothers and his men. For the first time, Yaten felt like if Minako had come to harm, he would probably die along with her.

And for the first time, Yaten felt like he got someone to protect.

With the debris painting a shade of grey over his line of sight, and the sounds of gunfire numbing his hearing except for his worries, Yaten took an handgun and crawled table to table, stopping at the nearest one to the counter where the three intruders hid. He will find a way past them to Minako. He probably had to shoot them blindly as he makes a dash for the exit and out of the café building, but if he runs fast enough, he can make it out unscathed. Though the time limit for them to shoot is pretty wide especially if he has to turn his head to aim and shoot a few blind shots. Judging by the accuracy and the caliber of which the squad of three, they don't seem to be just normal civilians. If theya re highly trained, they could take him down in that split second, and Minako would be in great danger…for nothing.

Police knows nothing of separating the really innocent from the guilty.

As long someone is there at the crime scene and claims to be a friend, he or she is a goner. That Yaten knows for sure, as he had heard a lot of stories from Seiya of the stupidity of the police, as well as the corruption of them. Wait, maybe he could tell Seiya to corrupt them to let Minako off- no, it means he wouldn't be alive then to even say-

Suddenly, a pair of white school shoes flashed through the bottom of the corridor.

Yaten blinked, and he opened to a clear set of white shoes and thin fair legs, belonging to no one but Minako. Looking up in that split second, he sees an aqua-haired woman emerging from the counter that she was hiding and run up to Minako in a hurry, seemingly ready to lunged at her. He immediately readied the M9 in his hand and raised it.

The aqua haired woman turned around to look and Yaten blinked and opened fire madly at the figure in front of Minako.

He struggled to keep his hand outstretched to pull the trigger, but suddenly he recoil was bigger, and bigger.

And suddenly, he found himself facing the ceiling.

Rolling to his side, Yaten's vision blurred but he clearly saw a short haired blonde person who was bleeding at the sides pointing a gun towards him. Minako, however, was still standing, and safe. In fact, Minako was in the arms of the aqua haired woman.

Now Yaten can rest easy.

* * *

Michiru watched on as Tenoh shot a few more other guys in perfect shots at the chest area near the shoulder blades that would both stun and injure the victim.

"Why…why?!" Minako, suddenly in hysteria.

"Minako-chan, what is it?" Michiru asked, a little alarmed.

"That boy," and Minako points at Kou Yaten as the firing dies down once the other men realized their leader is down, "why did you shoot him!!"

Tenoh didn't look back, but Michiru simply said, "Kou Yaten"

"What?!" Minako, unable to balance herself, sank into Michiru's arms.

Distinct sounds of the police sirens could be heard from the distant coming nearer and nearer.

The remaining terrorists of Kingdom scrambled out of the café like illegal peddlers on the streets at a market raid, as the four of them, with the bodies of those taken down by Tenoh and Michiru, as well as Kou Yaten, remained. The debris settled considerably at the lack of activity and the noise of gunfire, now replaced by the noise of silence, overwhelmed yet calmed the four of them. The smell of blood was evident in the air, mixed with the smell of cinnamon. A very weird combination of sweetness and iron smell floated in the air which unnerved all of them…well, except the usual aloof looking Tenoh, who had his unconcerned look again on his face, despite…oh goodness.

"Tenoh give me your arm you're bleeding badly!" Michiru exclaimed, once she set a shocked Minako beside the traumatized Rei leaning on the counter of the café.

"It's nothing. My hand wound reopened and I'm semi shot," Tenoh replied, shifting away from Michiru as he dropped the M9 to her feet.

"We still have to do something about that!" Michiru is alarmed again at Tenoh's aloofness for even his own health.

Why did everyone suddenly turned flipside? Those she normally thought could be relied on for operations and movement are completely immobilized, while those she never even gave a second thought to had saved her.

Oh goodness yes, Tenoh blocked a bullet for her as he pushed her out of the way and shot Kou Yaten.

Oh no. Now she feels even more guilty. And she contributed to his earlier wounds…

"Tenoh…I-"

And the police had to come.

* * *

Setsuna sighed as her blonde subordinate was brought to her in a state of shock, though virtually unharmed. Rei, Michiru and Tenoh Haruka were escorted to the designated ambulance parked outside the café road at the far corner of the whole area of land cordoned off by the police. The ambulance that acted as a mobile emergency medical centre…though as Setsuna noted as she saw the others file out one by one; only the mysterious Tenoh Haruka was hurt. But psychologically, the impact might have been much deeper. It's quite odd, to see the usually confident and overbearing Rei reduced to a silent trembling figure following orders blindly, and to see the usually perky Minako coming somewhat similar to Rei. Mamoru waved his hand in front of Minako's face, bringing Minako momentarily out of her reverie.

"Minako-san?"Setsuna's suave black haired boss in his short sleeves blue shirt with a vest slinging a handgun over it and black pants in a typical police chief fashion, just minus the big belly most chiefs have.

"Here! I am just…"

"Traumatized?" Setsuna interjected.

"Yes…I think so, I mean, it's a real gun fight and Kou Yaten was talking to me before that…I am helpless."

Minako look past her formally dressed in an olive grey skirt and coat with a white shirt underneath superior and Mamoru to the ground to look at the mess the gunfight made…in a much more clearer view.

Who would have thought Kou Yaten was the young man? Although she did had warning signs…plus the features. Looking at his green eyes and silver hair, Minako really should've remembered.

Suddenly, Minako spotted her bag among the rubble.

Sprinting forward to take it from the rubble, Minako shifted aside a few pieces of fallen wooden pieces as she retrieved her bag out of the pile of grey landscape that semi-covered it.

Immediately, she spotted blood on the bag.

Kou Yaten's blood. Yeah she did see him holding her bag before falling down onto the ground with Tenoh's shot.

She played on his innocence, but then again, what they did was innocent and never went past the pure friendship level.

Why does she feel so guilty?

He is a murderer…someone who killed hundreds and thousands of lives with their Bazookas and bullet and their drug ring. He is planning to overthrow the government of the now relatively peaceful Japan, her home. He is a terrorist who aims to destroy the society she is bounded to protect.

Minako rubbed her head as it started to ache from all the blood and rubble smell combined in an un-tasteful combination with cinnamon.

Somehow something tells her Yaten is not…that sort.

Looking around at the mess the gunfight made, Setsuna had to agree with Minako's forlorn look as Setsuna watched Minako walk around the debris in melancholy. It's not like the police deals frequently with unplanned fire fights; not to mention, mass gun fire fighting. Minako, Michiru, Hino Rei and the mysterious stranger identified as Tenoh Haruka to deal with being fired by 2 dozen over men is no easy feat. It is miraculous they made it out all alive and largely unscathed. Though Michiru did mention something about Tenoh Haruka guy being very suspicious…damn this name keeps coming up. Makoto also mentioned this person's name frequently when she was at Mentos Inc spying, before Michiru took her place.

"Meioh-san, you thinking about Tenoh Haruka?"

"Mamoru-san, you read my thoughts! I am awed. But-"

"A little information you might find very interesting," Mamoru said with a light chuckle.

Setsuna tilted her head. What kind of information about this person would be interesting to her?

"Makoto got dropped off spying Mentos Inc. because of Tenoh Haruka."

Setsuna, a little surprised, turned back to look at Mamoru's soft blue eyes right in the eye. "I thought Makoto got dropped off because the commissioner had a meeting with the other superintendents and decided to put the spying job under someone trained out of the special police division?"

"Yes, that too, but not the main reason. Kaioh Michiru was merely the most suitable replacement for Makoto at that point in time, and hence, an easily believable made-known cover up."

"Then what was?" Setsuna frowned at the police conspiracy. Was it even necessary? Makoto didn't do anything wrong even if she didn't make as much progress as Michiru did with Mentos Inc.

"I guess it's classified information because that is all I know," Mamoru admitted a little dejectedly. "I've been trying to find out from my other friends and sources for ages, even from Makoto herself. But seems like Makoto had her lips sealed and-"

"Excuse me," a voice interrupted the two of them.

Mamoru and Setsuna broke away from their gaze and looked at the interruption.

"I need to see Kou Yaten that you've arrested, for a while, and Tenoh Haruka is my friend" an unknown young man's voice spoke friendly.

That was when Minako turned around from her looking through the debris and called, "Yano-san!"

Ethan smiled back happily at Minako, though it looked a little faked out.

"Sorry, Yano-san we don't give visits to highly dangerous suspects like Kou Yaten. Furthermore, he was shot and is now unconscious." Setsuna retorted, despite the friendly aura surrounding Minako and the Yano guy.

The man looked over at Mamoru as Minako joined in their discussion.

Mamoru sighed and nodded at Yano.

Setsuna frowned deeply; Mamoru is being too secretive today. What else does she not know of this whole Mentos Inc. saga? "Why? Mamoru-san!"

"W-what?" Minako interjected innocently.

Ethan smiled at Minako as Setsuna sent dagger looks to a solemn Mamoru who looked a little sorry over the secrets. "I need a visit to Kou Yaten, you know, Mentos and all the drug things."

"I'll go with you!" Minako straightaway proclaimed.

Ethan nodded, his smile not disappearing.

Mamoru nodded along, "but only in the hospital where he is jailed at temporarily" and Setsuna could only see confusion and anger.

How many secrets are Mamoru keeping from her?

* * *

Somehow, the white light of the ambulance partially blinded Michiru's vision. As she lay in the bed of the makeshift medical centre while the medics tend to her unharmed state of body, the smell of the medical equipment and whispers of the medical crew irritated her. She just wanted to get out of the ambulance and walk about. Tenoh was in here for a treatment before her. She saw him entering the ambulance first, but by the time she walked off to get a drink of water from her colleagues and back, Tenoh was gone. All Michiru wanted to do now was to find him and make sure he's alright…then question him about his skills. But this medical crew refused to let her go.

"Sure you're feeling alright, Kaioh-san?" A female medic crew asked her.

"Yes," Michiru's curt reply, patience waning thin.

"Do you know who Tenoh Haruka is? Can you ask her to come back for a thorough check up?"

"Yes," Michiru, taking no note of the gender.

"Geez women these days in the police…take off without much consideration to their treatment."

Michiru ignored the petty talk as she quickly sat up and got out of the bed, down the medical ambulance as quick as she can to get away. She needed to find Tenoh.

But once she caught sight of the blonde head the aqua haired woman boiled inside. They were standing close to each other side by side leaning on the seats at the bus stop just outside the café.

"Haruka-san, I hope you're alright. You seem pretty injured," a plainly clad Makoto in dark green long sleeves shirt with a police gun sling over it and jeans, fussed over a now coatless Tenoh, in just his white shirt and black pants.

Michiru couldn't see his expression because he had his back turned against her, but she could see Tenoh nod wordlessly.

"I'm sorry, if I were still dealing with Mentos Inc. I'm sure we would help each other out perfectly. Kaioh-san is…inexperienced, if you ask me. She shouldn't have jeopardized-"

"I didn't jeopardized him, Makoto-san, I-"

And this instant, Tenoh turned around to face Michiru with his shirt front two buttons unbuttoned, exposing his somewhat lean neck line and fair skin underneath. And Michiru noticed his chest seems a little larger than expected. But it successfully kept Michiru's attention. For some odd reason Michiru couldn't stop looking. As if she was…attracted to it. Attracted?!Michiru shook her head and force herself to concentrate on the face of Tenoh.

But it was equally attractive with his trained look of unconcerned.

"She saved me," Tenoh look over to Makoto and lied with his eyes wide open.

"But you're more hurt than-"

"I saved her back," Tenoh simply answered, leaving Makoto no room for argument.

"But Tenoh-san," Makoto helpless said as she looked at the sudden out of nowhere 'social ganging up' that formed between Tenoh and Michiru within that second Michiru and Tenoh locked eyes.

"Thank you Kino-san, but I think Kaioh-san has got something to talk to me about, since she hardly approached me on her own accord."

Michiru raised her eyebrows at Makoto's defeated look, subsequent glare at Michiru, and then smiled back at Tenoh as she wordlessly took her leave.

"I can't believe you shot her down like that," Michiru said incredulously as she took a seat directly behind where Tenoh was standing, so their backs were lightly against each other. Or rather, Michiru top half of her back was against his lower half.

"I don't want to give her hopes," Tenoh chuckled lightly, not facing Michiru as he said that.

"Crazy day today, isn't it?"

Tenoh chuckled his husky chuckle.

The two enjoyed silence for a while, as the summer wind blew and the grass rustled, in the midst of the flurry of actions of the police around and the investigations going on, plus the nosey reporters being sidelined by the police. Michiru tilted her head slightly into a comfortable position and smiled a little; this was comfortable. Finally after a day of hectic madness, she found a moment of rest and tranquility. The funniest of it, was that she found it with Tenoh, of all people.

Tenoh was silent and still, but Michiru could feel the slightest steady breathing movement from his body as part of the back of her head made the merest of contact with his back. But that sounds perfect to Michiru now. As if he is some steady mountain Michiru could rely upon when she most needed it.

Which brings her back to the question…who is he? Why did he handled the situation just now as if…as if he was so used to it. He was skilled with the gun; firing at the ceiling accurately required a significant marksmanship. He was quick thinking, and he shot all the enemies at precisely the spot that would be sufficient to bring them down, but not kill them. How did he know all these?

Michiru frowned as her mental peace was disturbed.

"Tenoh…"

Tenoh grunted.

"Who are you actually?"

"Your boss."

"Where did you come from?"

"My mother's womb."

"How did you train your skills?"

"I like reading."

"You obviously know what I'm talking about."

"That I'm supposed to be your civilian and you, my friendly neighbourhood police?"

"Tenoh," Michiru shifted herself forward to turn and looked back.

As if on cue, Tenoh turned back as well, with his bandaged hands on the edge of the seat Michiru was sitting and looking right into Michiru's eyes.

"Michiru," Tenoh said in response, randomly.

Goodness how Michiru liked the sound of her given name coming out of his mouth.

"Ha…ruka."

How his name sounded so smooth in her mouth. It was so easy to utter that 3 syllabus out. Michiru wondered why she didn't seriously try that before.

Haruka smiled at that, and Michiru followed his smile to his brilliant green eyes.

"Let's keep our dirty little secrets a little longer."

"But mine is-"

"I'm sure you have more," Haruka shrugged as he pushed himself from leaning against the seat to standing up straight.

"I…sadly do," Michiru said, as her mind turned melancholic. "But why, Haruka?"

"Haruka?"

And Michiru found herself alone at the bus stop.

Haruka is so mysterious. He has no emotions; he practically looked like he doesn't feel pain. Yet he smiles like a normal human being and encourage the flirtations girls give him. He is refined, he is well mannered when he has to be, and he has a good temper. Haruka had never been…imperfect, though less the times Michiru found him extremely irritating. But coming back to think of it, he was irritating in an unconventional way. Unlike all the other boys who had taken interest in her and made themselves irritating by showering her with unwanted attention, he instead, was aloof, and irritated her in a high classed manner. Rendering her a little…inferior complexity prone.

Without asking, he had known her past, her character, her identity, and her emotions. He seems to either understand them himself…or fate decides to throw them in his face. It's frightening…to know someone could actually accomplished so much knowledge about her in such a short span of less than 2 weeks. Michiru took such a long time to warm up to Minako, to Setsuna. In fact, because of her distancing attitude, Michiru only had Minako as a best friend and Setsuna who knew her well.

Not that she wanted to be quiet; it's just that she rather talk to those people important to her, like her long suffering family.

"Michiru-san?" Now this person who called her name wasn't so nice sounding…pleasant, but she would prefer Haruka's voice anytime.

Michiru looked up to find a pair of dirty blue eyes on her.

"Yano-san…"

"Can I sit down?" Ethan pointed at the seat beside her at the bus stop.

The shadow casted by Ethan and his hand suddenly dawned on Michiru that it was dusk already. "Yeah."

"You seem tired," Ethan started the conversation, typically.

Guess not everyone can pull of conversations like Haruka does. Michiru nodded, letting her mind go into a complete blank slate. She wanted to ask why Ethan was even here, but decided otherwise. It would only trigger a whole new round of thoughts and doubts and questions, which she would think, get tired, and get no answers. "Tough day…literally, CEO."

Ethan chuckled lightly. "You know, Michiru-san, when I first knew Haruka, it was a scene like this."

Michiru, hearing the mention of Haruka, looked to the direction where Ethan made a rectangle with his both hands, seemingly to capture a picture like a camera does with his hands.

"Rubble, destruction, blood, and a little crying girl."

Girl?

"Her blonde hair was flowing so much; I thought she was an angel. Borne out of the rubble and destruction. I told my adoptive father to look at her, and I guess he saw what I saw."

"Wait wait wait, her? Girl?"

Ethan looked at Michiru with an 'are you dumb or what?' look.

"Haruka is a girl? Don't joke-"

Ethan whipped out his wallet and pulled out an old childhood group photo.

Michiru felt her heart stopped at seeing it.

* * *

A/N: I LOVE HULL CITY FC WOOOHOOO, but i'm still a loyal Man Utd fan (becomes soccer crazed), R&R if you can! See ya next time.


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. I don't own Sailormoon, Kiyokawa Village (I nicked the name off Google map LOL), Azerbaijan is a lovely place especially in summer, as well as the dubious accounts in Singapore, (no such sort of stuff happening there as far as I know, all made up fiction by me) neither do I own the name 'Mentos' (I bloody love that sweet!). The stories about the political conflicts are made up too, though I believe I got the essence of the explanations right. Feel free to tell me if something is wrong! The whole story is fictitious and I'm not getting any money for it. Any relevance to actual living persons or events is entirely coincidental. **

A/N: w00ts my quick update…but my week is hectic, so are my work that are piling up like nobody's business…one thing about university life is that your professors is that they assume you're only taking one subject, and your friends would assume you have a lot of time for extra activities, and your club members would assume you have lot of time to do work for them lol. Okay I'm gonna stop ranting,

Enjoy this chapter! Please R&R if you can, and whoever wherever you are. So I know you're reading it and what you think of it. And all those who reviewed the last time, I love you guys!

* * *

The news flash was his nightmare.

Seiya held his cell phone a little away from his ear as he tried his best to concentrate whatever the news anchor was saying. It was pitch black in the apartment in the middle of Osaka at one of the rich districts except for the television and Seiya's cell phone, where the sun has almost completely set and the whole sky is a shade of dark blue.

At his ear, Taiki was yelling on the phone about the failure of Yaten to secure the drugs to get the funding they needed that they would have to resort to robbing a bank.

At his earshot, the news was all about the various footages the reporters had shot over the debris that the gunfight had took place. Not to say, blood was evident all over the debris, meaning someone was injured. If not, killed.

All Seiya wanted to hear if Yaten was alright.

"SEIYA! Are you listening to me?!" Taiki bellowed though the phone.

Seiya merely grunted in response as he heard '_It is one of the worse firefight in the recent history of Japan, with many injured and civilians involved in the firefight…_'

Still, no Yaten.

"We have just lost 30million US dollars! Don't you have any reaction towards it?! I'm already at Azerbaijan locating the hidden man for nuclear nukes!!" Taiki bellowed through the phone, which displayed a number foreign to Seiya.

Seiya kept silent as his eyes fixated on the television.

"Yaten is a useless fool; how could he…BAH!" And Seiya heard a loud crash of things at the other line. Seiya suppose Taiki is taking out is frustrations on random stuff around where he is.

"I have a useless little brother!" Taiki shouted in the phone.

Seiya frowned at that, as the news finally showed something promising of Yaten's news.

'One of the leaders of the group's militant unit, Kou Yaten, is identified by the police to have been under capture, though they did not sate under what state was he captured in.'

Seiya sighed, if the police say captured, at the very least, Yaten is alive.

"I want you to either raise funds again, or recover the goods to! I will try on my part too. But I will deal with the nukes guy, you just concentrate on that! I will call you again about a few days later to discuss in detail .Now go out of your hiding and do some damage control!"

Seiya grunted again to his older brother, as his older brother slammed the phone down on him, hard.

The slap sound made his ear hurt a little.

But all Seiya could think of now was his little brother's well being.

* * *

"You know the procedures, Michiru, now let's get on with the answers," Setsuna said as she turned a table lamp to shine on Michiru, as if Michiru was a criminal.

Seldom was Michiru in the position of being interrogated.

"What happened?" Setsuna softened her tone at her subordinate at the opposite end of the interrogation table in the dark room.

Michiru sighed as she recounted the events of the afternoon that led up to her visit to the Cinnamon Coffee and Meeting House. She gave it chronologically, like how a police, or herself rather, would have liked the events to be, and in much detail. Since technically she was there in the position of Mentos Inc employee, aka, spy, she should've reported the situation first before taking any action. Her top priority was to transmit information…not fighting.

But her minds keep flashing back to the instant about 1 hour ago, before their long car ride back to the police station headquarters to take statement down.

_Ethan chuckled lightly. "You know, Michiru-san, when I first knew Haruka, it was a scene like this."_

_Michiru, hearing the mention of Haruka, looked to the direction where Ethan made a rectangle with his both hands, seemingly to capture a picture like a camera does with his hands._

"_Rubble, destruction, blood, and a little crying girl."_

_Girl?_

"_Her blonde hair was flowing so much; I thought she was an angel. Borne out of the rubble and destruction. I told my adoptive father to look at her, and I guess he saw what I saw."_

"_Wait wait wait, her? Girl?"_

_Ethan looked at Michiru with an 'are you dumb or what?' look._

"_Haruka is a girl? Don't joke-"_

_Ethan whipped out his wallet and pulled out an old childhood group photo._

_Michiru felt her heart stopped at seeing it._

_There in the black and white photo were four people. Well not exactly black and white, since overtime the photo faded to a nice shade of old yellow and brown. Two adults, one female and one male, dressed in what one may call, explorer's clothes, while the little boy at the right of them was dressed in simple t-shirt and shorts. The little girl at the right of them had a still face, and even though she looks clean, the robe or a cloak she was wearing was visibly ragged. They seem to be in a place in the sandy rocky mountains with little or no vegetation, or a laid back area of the world._

"_That girl is Haruka?!" Michiru asked incredulously again, which now seem more like a rhetorical question than a genuine one._

_Ethan had to chuckle at that reaction of Michiru. This is not the first time he had seen such reaction already. Makoto gave him the same reaction too. God knows how many girls had this reaction when they realize their handsome perfect gentleman is a woman._

"_Then why-"_

"_Michiru! Ah, Yano-san, you're here too!" Minako's energetic voice sounded far away from them that got louder as Minako got closer."Saves me the trouble of looking; it's time to go back to the station, we have already found the rest of the people including Tenoh Haruka." Minako smiled innocently at the two of them._

_Michiru could only return a blank stare at the mention of Haruka and Ethan took advantage of this and slipped the photo out of Michiru's hand into his grasp again._

_About ten minutes later, Michiru, still in her dazed state, sat in the police car with Minako to ride back to the headquarters, while Minako will drop off at the hospital first. Their driver was just the border patrol from the outskirts, who offered the services of the ride. "Minako-chan...what do you think of Tenoh Haruka?" and with that, Michiru observed her friend's face._

_Minako's face instantly delighted at the sound of Haruka's name. "Cool, smart, polite, though not very talkative. But he can be friendly if I initiated a conversation. And oh, he looks super handsome, like, mouth watering kind! His eyes are such a nice brilliant green and he looks just nice! Not too built, but not too frail. At the athletic built! I thought we both have a thing for guys like this? And you like this kind of first impression too! But of course I know you're lesbian and all and it doesn't bother me one bit because you still rock but-"_

"_What if I tell you Tenoh Haruka is a woman?"_

_Silence ensued for a while as Minako suddenly sunk into deep thought as her face went blank. The shock must have needed a little time to process. If Minako, who just met Haruka, have such a reaction, what kind of reaction should she, who worked ad quarreled and talked to her for about a week already, is supposed to have?_

_Suddenly, a bright smile bloom across Minako's face._

"_Oh my goodness Michiru! YOU FOUND YOUR TARGET!"_

What? Suddenly Michiru realizes Haruka is a girl and it opened the possibility of being able to be with her? What the hell? Haruka was a disgusting fool with lots of secrets! She can never forget how much trouble and distress Haruka given her just only a week ago too! She still remember-

Oh…oh no wonder Michiru found Haruka in the female toilet last Monday. And she must have been chasing Kou Yaten last Monday too…silver haired man.

"That's all Michiru. We've got some reasons to celebrate and some reasons not to. Now we've caught one of the Kingdom members, but not the men connected to the drug dealings in Mentos Inc. itself. Plus, two other Kingdom leaders remain, and their entire sub-leader lackeys. But good job, go to work as usual tomorrow. But have a small break first, I guess." Setsuna said, as she closed her file which was the case on the Mentos Inc.

"How's Hino Rei?" Michiru suddenly interjected, mind thinking about the firefight just now, not that her mind was on Rei.

But rather, the blonde with superbly military skills.

"Oh she's in a shock and was admitted into hospital, but she's alright, with no injuries. Probably stuck in hospital for a day or two though."

"Okay," Michiru responded in reflex, though her mind has already wandered.

"I'm worried about that CEO of Mentos Inc. though…why is he allowed to see such a classified criminal like Kou Yaten? No, why did Mamoru allow him to?"

Michiru leaned her chin on the right hand as she thought about what Setsuna said. Well, he was the boss of Mentos Inc., maybe he had to clarify about the drug dealings? Or…he did say rubble, destruction and blood when he talked about finding Haruka-

He is linked to the Kingdom?

Michiru must have been making a weird expression at that time as Setsuna looked at her with a weird stare. But…Ethan, the nice friendly guy, linked with the bloodlust Kingdom? And Haruka?

* * *

Ethan stared as Yaten, wrapped in bandages and the hospital gown, just kept his mouth shut and looked at the ceiling.

"Don't pretend you don't know who I am," Ethan reiterated, though tiredly.

The silence in the hospital room, except for the beeping of the machines attached to Yaten, was stifling. Ethan had even got Mamoru to ask the guards to leave them alone, and wait outside the room. Of course, that came in the price of him swearing an oath not to hurt the man in front of him on sight.

"You know full well Taiki isn't going to include saving you in his plan; that man has no heart like his father," Ethan stated as a matter-of-factly.

Yaten kept his stare and silence.

"I can help you. All the police information about you and your brothers are jumbled and mixed up. They think you're a 24 year old man in fact you're barely 20. They think Seiya has silver hair and green eyes as well. They do not know how Taiki even looks like. As long you don't talk, they won't know, and I'll save you. Of course, I have no wish to save the rest."

Yaten now shifted his gaze from the white ceiling to a blank cold stare at Ethan. It didn't scare Ethan at all…but it made Ethan pity the boy in front of him. Just like Haruka…only 13 years too late.

"You know what your brothers want, right?" Ethan softened his voice.

Yaten open his mouth and gasped a breathless "Seiya".

Ethan stared at the boy with a frown. Yaten tried again saying a breathless "Seiya".

Ethan frowned even more as Yaten, coughing and swinging his head around, as if either to get a better position or to torture himself. Ethan brought himself forward, leaning near to Yaten's mouth. Yaten then whispered loudly, phlegm and pain evident in his voice. "Save…Seiya…"

Ethan stood back straight up. "No."

Yaten, now wheezing and in an eminent seizure. "Seiya…" he kept repeating in his gasps.

"I'll never forget what he did 15 years ago that orphaned me."

The red light on top of Seiya's bed began to flash and there was a distinct beeping sound as Ethan watched Yaten let the seizure overcome him. About a few seconds later, doctors and nurses rushed into the room and closed the curtains surrounding Yaten's bed while Yaten was squirming around frantically and gasping for his life. Ethan just stood there and watched.

"Please Sir, leave." One of the nurses now tapped on his shoulder, bringing his attention to her.

Ethan nodded then left the hospital room, closing the door behind him softly, like a perfect gentleman. Nodding to the guard as he walked away from the door, Ethan made his way to be beside a sleeping Minako on the corridor chairs, as she awaits her turn to see Yaten, which probably would never come. At least, not tonight. Deciding on waking her to take her home, like how a gentleman is expected to, Ethan shook Minako lightly.

"Nugh…uh?" Minako looked up to find Ethan's friendly dirty blues eyes on her.

Ethan smiled, like what is expected. "No Yaten tonight for you; he's in need of rest and a bit of treatment," opting to leave out the reason why.

"Oh…oh my goodness I fell asleep…" And Minako gave a huge yawn, which was cute, but not as cute as Ethan once spotted Michiru yawning. Michiru's yawn was much more natural and something likened to a release of stress, while Minako's was just plainly natural.

"I'll take you home, Aino-san," Ethan said, lightly.

"Eh?"

Ethan just gave a light chuckle as a response to Minako's cluelessness.

As they stood up, it suddenly struck Minako, "Why can you see Yaten, Yano-san?"

Ethan shrugged as they started walking down the corridor, "I know Chiba-san way before this, and I'm Mentos Inc. CEO…guess I have some connections?" Opting to lie again.

Minako giggled at the 'CEO'. "You're like every girl's dream…okay, not Michiru's, but like every other girls' one. Being friendly, handsome and competent, and probably rich too," Minako winked at Ethan. "Oh you know Michiru's preference right?"

Ethan smiled and nodded politely.

"Well she hardly tells people because she finds no need to, or she doesn't trust them. She told me she told you that like, on the 1st day she met you. She must have trusted you a lot. And if Michiru trusted you, I do too!" Minako exclaimed happily like an innocent child.

"And to think she really thought you were a janitor!"

Sometimes, Ethan thought most people's outlook of the world is very simple. He tried to simplify things in his life too…but it only led to one thought.

Revenge.

And it was funny, how Minako trusted a liar like him.

Ethan started laughing uncontrollably.

Minako, seemingly to take it as Ethan was laughing at her joke of him being a janitor, laughed with him as well.

That poor girl.

* * *

'_Kingdom – A terrorist group focused on the restoration of absolute monarchist rule, with the inclination towards enlightened absolutist ideology. The group's formation was based on late 1950s during the end of America's occupancy in Japan, leading to the reinstatement of the Emperor's power. There was a leadership struggle then that was not made known to the public, which led to Kingdom, whose founder claimed to be one of the sons of the previous emperor's that did not claim his first bride from the acceptable source. Hence, he was made illegitimate, but nevertheless, the eldest and disputably, the heir. The present monarch refused to recognize him, and hence Kingdom was formed as an opposing force against the current Japan's monarchy. Kingdom was non-hostile and quiet during its first few decades. But over the years, especially after the bubble formation of the Japanese property, the Japanese public, especially the mass lower income group of people became disillusioned with the Japanese government, turned to Kingdom for support as Kingdom started its hostility against the Japanese government to step down. After bubble burst in the 1980s, Kingdom evolved to become one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in Japan as they turned to violence to get Japanese government to reinstate absolute monarchy, and abolish themselves from government. Various attacks like the hijacking and bombing of the Japan airline flights, as well as the infamous hijacking collaboration with the Japanese Blood Army, a Japan wide terrorist organization, took place I various parts of the world. It is rumoured for Kingdom to have links with international terrorist and crime organizations such as the Hitmen association for assassins based in America and the drugs Ring Lords in South East Asia, as well as the Rebellists with nuclear weapons capability in Russia._'

Michiru blinked as she pause her reading to try take in all the information presented to her on the file se borrowed from Setsuna on Mentos Inc.

'Kingdom is currently headed by the sons of the founder the violent era of Kingdom, Kou Junpei. Information about the current Kingdom is sparse and unknown due to the added shroud of secrecy of them. With the-'

And Michiru's reading was interrupted by the sound of Makoto in the distance.

"Haruka-san! Since you're injured I can drive you home? Or I can take care of you too; you can stay at my house for the night…" Michiru immediately felt irritated.

It is odd, for Michiru to be irritated by Makoto. To think Makoto was the concentration of Michiru's respect before she began her Mentos Inc. work. Makoto is head over heels over Haruka…everyone who is in the vicinity of Makoto talking to Haruka can see and feel and hear it. And Haruka…yes, that woman.

Michiru closed the file she was reading to listen intently on Makoto's and Haruka's conversation.

"No need, Kino-san…I am quite fine," Haruka's usual curt reply.

"But I can cook some soup for you! I mean, the last time I was still working at Mentos Inc. both you and Ethan-san liked my soup-"

"It is late, I'm sure you want to rest too?"

"No! It's quite alright to be spending time to take care of you-"

"Makoto! Come here for a second!" Michiru heard Setsuna's shout from a distance directed at Makoto.

There was a bit of silence, before Makoto said meekly, "excuse me, Haruka-san, but wait for me!"

And Michiru heard footsteps walked away, before there was an audible sigh of relief from Haruka.

Heh, she wants to relax? Michiru haven't got Haruka back for leaving her without a word, the lunchtime anger, and the fact that she was a woman.

Michiru walked towards the source of the sigh as she passed by her table in Mentos Inc. and put the file of Mentos down on her table. Walking a bit more, and then turning into the right corner pass the opened door and into the white lit corridor of the police headquarters, she found Tenoh Haruka, leaning against the dark green door of another interrogation room at the opposite end of the one Michiru was in.

Michiru walked up to Haruka and purred "Ha, ru, ka" on all purpose and evil intent.

Haruka immediately snapped her head to look at the direction of Michiru, but found herself closer than she expected to Michiru.

"Michiru?"

Michiru placed one hand flat on door Haruka was leaning at and leaned close to Haruka, but holding her breath. Though Haruka didn't look any perturbed by Michiru's seductive pose. "Do you like keeping secrets so much, Haruka?"

Haruka gave her a blank look at Michiru's purposefully half lid seductive eyes as her shadow casts over Michiru's face. "Not really."

Michiru, not wanting to drop it, tiptoed and leaned her face up dangerously close towards Haruka's face. But suddenly, Michiru wished this wasn't just a taunt. She breathed in a scent of Haruka close up, which smelt so nice she can just get used to it. "Why didn't you tell me you were a woman?"

Haruka smirked unexpectedly. "I didn't?"

Michiru grunted and as soon as she grunted, suddenly a warm pair of lips was found on her lips. Michiru body warmth suddenly burst out and she felt hot all over.

What is this?!

But before Michiru could register that was a kiss, Haruka pulled away, leaving Michiru shocked and dazed, now no longer on her toes but flatly standing straight on the ground, hands to her side.

"I heard Ethan say once you were into girls, so that should prove it to you," Haruka said nonchalantly as she pushed herself off the door.

Michiru said nothing in response as she stared in wide shock at Haruka.

Haruka begin to walk away, and when Michiru heard the first footstep, that was when she snapped out of her reverie. "Stop right there Tenoh Haruka!" Michiru went angrily at Haruka.

Haruka halted and turned around to give Michiru a questioningly look. But in a swift action, Michiru held Haruka by her white shirt collar that looked dirty and faintly blood stained.

"I can't believe I didn't realize you were a girl. I mean, c'mon! I was in my high school's at club for goodness sake! And the brightest one of them all! I was in the school orchestra! Surely I can tell the difference between a female's voice and a male's voice! And you! I cannot tell the difference of you! And you kissed me! Do you have any damn bloody idea it was my first kiss in ages! I haven't kissed any one since I came out of high school into police academy and I was preparing it to be special and you ruined it! You bastard! No, bitch! Bah! You inhumane!"

Michiru gave Haruka a head butt comically and released her hold on Haruka's collar in all frustrations that landed sorely on Haruka's nose. That made Haruka flinched a little, then covered her nose to protect it further.

"What? You can't blame me for your stupidity. I never said I was male before-"

"Then what's with the flat chest?!" Michiru angrily shook her left fist and pointed with her right on Haruka's chest.

"It means I have less fat unlike you," Haruka taunted back, which sound nose blocked. Well actually, she really is blocking her nose with her hand covering it.

"So you're saying I'm fat because I have bigger breasts than you!?" Michiru was livid, this Haruka was so unreasonable.

"How do I know I have never even seen it or felt it," Haruka replied rebelliously.

Michiru, in a fit of anger, tore Haruka's hand from covering her reddish nose and held Haruka's hand with her own right hand by the wrist and place it on her left breast with her left hand covering Haruka's hand. She squeezed Haruka's hand which inevitably squeezed her breast.

"What the hell are you doing Kaioh?!" Haruka was bewildered.

"Does this feel fat to you!? Does it?!" Michiru taunted slyly, squeezing and un-squeezing Haruka's hand.

A loud sound of someone clearing his throat sounded beside them. Michiru and Haruka both froze and turned their heads to the source of the sound.

"Erm, take it to the bedroom?" Mamoru raised his eyebrows and smiled.

* * *

"You know, someone should teach you never to call Kaioh Michiru fat," Setsuna sighed as she applied some cooling cream onto Haruka's reddened nose from the impact of Michiru's head butt.

"How was I to know," mumbled Haruka.

"Calling someone fat is quite insulting even if it's true, Tenoh-san," Setsuna lightly chided her.

Haruka tilted her head in question and deep thought, as she tried to processed what Setsuna was saying. What Enya had told her was that calling someone something they wasn't was an insult, but not a fact. If it was a fact, it was correct. Michiru was indeed fatter than her with bigger breasts; she sees no reason to lie.

"My adoptive mother told me truth was always right...better than lies," Haruka said, with an innocent look that Setsuna had to smile at, despite her doubts over this person seated in front of her.

"You know, if we had met earlier and in some different situation, I would've considered you cute."

"Is this situation not good?" Haruka now a little puzzled.

"No, this is good. Just a random thought that passed through me," Setsuna commented, suddenly questioning her own motives for saying anything at all just now.

"Okay, you're good to go now," Setsuna paste a plaster over Haruka's nose to cover the reddish mark that both of them was sure would turn into a blue black mark soon.

"You're a queer one, though. Others would have complained their hearts out with the pain they have to endure as I applied the cream and stuck the plaster. It's like you don't feel pain," Setsuna commented again.

Haruka shrugged as she bowed in gratitude to Setsuna and walked out of Setsuna's office, only to be met with a Michiru who walked out of Chiba Mamoru's office with a glum look on her face at the same time. Haruka's brilliant green eyes met with Michiru's deep blue ones and locked as Haruka struggled to find something to say…or rather apologise. Michiru's eyes were just tired and blank.

"I…uh…" Haruka hesitated.

For the first time in her life, Haruka felt difficulty in talking.

"I'll take you home," Haruka said, avoiding the subject of fault completely.

Michiru nodded as she slowly blinked. Haruka pointed the way to her car and Michiru just walked toward the direction silently, like a zombie. Haruka followed behind closely, and tugged Michiru's arm lightly whenever Michiru seemed to be floating off to the wrong direction like a lost ghost. Finally, Haruka managed to get Michiru into her BMW Z4 Roadster.

Sitting at the driver's seat after getting around the car and into it, Haruka let both of them basked in a few moments of silence as Michiru sighed and closed her eyes.

"I'm so tired…Haruka…" Michiru whined softly, leaning her head against the seat.

Opting to stay silent so Michiru could have a peace of mind, Haruka started the car and drove out of the car park of the police headquarters and onto the streets while Michiru slept soundly, finally, after a horridly hectic and long day with rollercoaster of events. Haruka didn't even bothered to turn on the stereo for music…but not that Michiru's steady breathing was unpleasant. It was comfortable; Michiru slept while Haruka bought her home. It felt natural to Haruka suddenly. As if she, at some point in time, had a duty to that and only fulfilled it now.

But Haruka's thoughts then came to halt.

Home? Michiru's home? Where is it?

Looking at the sleeping soundly aqua haired woman beside her, who suddenly had a small smile on her face and snuggling into the seat, it was impossible to find any answer to that question.

Left with either putting Michiru at the orphanage with Enya or her own apartment, Haruka opted for her own apartment. After all, the kids at the orphanage will no doubt wake the girl beside her. Looking at the time indicated on her stereo which was on sleep mode, it was nearly ten at night already. Guess her apartment was the best choice.

And with that, Haruka sped up her car and drove to her apartment.

* * *

In Osaka, suddenly every news channel and programme of the latest news about the gunfight that took place in earlier that night had changed their reporting to latest news. Seiya with his black hair overgrown and wearing simply a white t-shirt and black jeans, stood in front of the glass panel of an electronics store displaying all of their new products in the line of televisions, playing the same news channel.

'_An e-mail has been received by the Osaka prefecture police headquarters about a threat to hijack and cut off the whole internet network of Osaka by noon tomorrow. The person, demanding a sum of US 30 million dollars, which was equivalent to the total amount of loss if that were to happen and not recover for a week, had threatened to carry out his plan if the money was electronically transferred to an unknown Singapore based account. Officials have already taken moves to track down the source of the e-mail as well as the owner of the bank account. Sources say it might likely be linked with Kingdom, as the same amount of money was reportedly loss in their drug bust this afternoon. More news about that later…'_

Seiya chuckled. That's the beauty of technology. No one knows what you're doing, everything is connected, it's impossible to block. Seiya can almost foresee the whole intellectual intelligence unit of Osaka going into frenzy to prevent the hacking from taking place. Terribly futile work, in Seiya's opinion.

He continued walking down the night streets of Osaka, trying to relax himself from doing something stupid like taking a gun and storming the police quarters in Tokyo to release his brother.

All he has to do now is waiting for the Osaka prefecture government to respond as his sub leaders would direct Yaten's underlings to Osaka here. And the 30 million dollars would be his in no time.

It's only a matter of time.

Seiya scratched his head and felt his overgrown hair that has been jutting out of his ponytail.

First, a haircut.

* * *

Haruka silently parked her car and hauled Michiru from her seat to her arms in bridal style. Michiru was heavier than Haruka had expected though, and Haruka had to use her upper body weight and strength to support Michiru on her. Slowly making her steps out of the brightly lit car park, Haruka used her foot to open doors and managed to bend down, stick out her little finger to press the button for the lift.

This was when Michiru suddenly snuggled into Haruka, making Haruka's knees suddenly go a little weak.

Haruka didn't know to like or hate that action form Michiru. But silently, Haruka stepped into the lift and pressed the floor of her apartment. The door close and immediately, strong silence filled the air except for the steady breathing of Michiru that Haruka had begun to get used to.

The lift then rang its bell and indicated they have reached. Haruka walked to her apartment then balanced Michiru on her body and her injured hand as her good hand fling the keys to unlock the apartment door. Using her feet to open it and close it. She brought Michiru to her guest room where she was going to put Michiru down on the bed.

As she bent and got Michiru down onto the bed, Haruka released her hold but Michiru, who snuggled up early to Haruka, did not.

Feeling odd, Haruka tried to gently pull away Michiru's hands without waking her up. But Michiru's hands were firmly locked around Haruka's neck.

"I want my mama…" Michiru mumbled in her sleep…or what Haruka can make out to be.

Guess everyone has their own family stories. Haruka's childhood was a blur, but she remembered being happy.

Karma is accurate too; do something good, and something good will happen to you.

Haruka, putting a pillow in between their bodies, lay down beside Michiru.

* * *

Michiru woke up with a start.

She sat up straight immediately below the soft backing.

What time was it?

Then it registered to her that her surrounding was not familiar. White and clean washed walls in a simple room with a bed and a cupboard. She looked down and saw her bed sheets were clean white in colour, yet the material was in the middle between cotton and silky; warm yet smooth. This was definitely not her room, which was cluttered with her paintings on the wall, childhood photos as well as music scores all over her tables and her vanity table sitting at the far right corner of her room. This room was simple but livable. So…guest like.

Where was she?

Frankly, all she remembers is going into Mamoru's room last night and getting additional orders to watch for Kingdom's movement in relation to Mentos' odd outflow of funds. And to, for some unknown reason, disclose the information to Ethan. Michiru was so tired halfway while Mamoru was explaining some things that she kind of slept mentally. Did it take her all the way here? Who brought her here?

Worst, did she do anything…odd?

Peeling the white blanket off her, she hesitated and look at the ground a while. It was clean parquet, but her feet weren't bare, too. Her shoes were still on. She got down the bed and stepped onto the floor, and walked out of the room, noticing her belonging were all on the glass table of the simply designed dining room. The whole apartment was brightly lit and airy with the windows all opened and curtains all drawn up. Furniture was sparse but necessary, and all in plain colours like white, wood, glass, suiting the white washed walls of the apartment. A nicely placed television on the light wooden television stand and a white sofa, and a phone just beside the television on the stand in the living room that was adjoined.

Juggling the thought to search through the master's bedroom against the morality of it, Michiru then spotted a not beside her belongings on the table.

'_Half day off…or a full day, if you don't wake up in time. The spare keys are hung on the wall beside the door, and you know my number. Cash in drawer in your guestroom's cupboard, food in the kitchen, take anything you want. Lock the door when you leave and return me the keys. Otherwise, have a good day. – Haruka'_

Considerate, was the first thought in Michiru's mind.

Looking around, Michiru saw a few photographs displayed at the display racks that acted as the divider between the kitchen and the dining room. Looking at the clock, Michiru was well late or the first half of the work day. It was already ten thirty in the morning. And the photographs were al pictures of Haruka and a big group of kids, or else they are photographs of a little cute black haired girl, or else, pictures of Haruka with a man and a woman she recognized instantly. Enya from the orphanage. And Ethan did say Haruka was adopted, didn't he? So…Haruka is an orphan from a war torn state? Come to think of it, Haruka has such intense green eyes that are hardly found in Japan.

Michiru picked up her cell phone from the table as she walked back to the glass table. Dialing Haruka's number from the cell phone number, she put her cell phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Haruka, I've woken up" Michiru giggled, suddenly feeling like a girlfriend reporting to her lover of her daily activities happily, as she walk back to looking at the photos on display.

"Ah…coming to work?" Typical of Haruka to ask that, though Haruka's voice did sound tired.

"Tuesday blues, but yes, I am. Though, can I rampage some of your shirts?" Michiru, remembering Haruka had a nice scent from before; wouldn't be too bad to take a shower and change into her shirt.

"Okay, lunch?"

"Lunch," Michiru agreed, remembering the photo and what Ethan said of Haruka's past.

Silence ensued for a while, as both of them are unwilling to hang up the phone, before Michiru broke the silence in about 5 seconds. "Haruka…tell me something about your past."

"Hmm? Why?"

"I mean, you now my past, and I barely even know anything about you, other than what I see every day," Michiru probed

"Don't get too attached to me, policewoman, and I'm working. I'll tell you the details later?"

"Aww that busy without me?" Michiru teased.

"No, but Hino Rei is staring at me oddly from outside my room with your stack of work on top of her own," Haruka chuckled her deep husky one, which Michiru suddenly liked it all over again. "I think I got to help her out."

"She's alright? I thought she was in such a daze yesterday."

"I don't know, I haven't talked to her since I came in. I only know she has so much work she's buried," Haruka chuckled again.

"Oh…but don't change the subject, Tenoh. Where are you from? You're not local are you?"

"I'm half Japanese, half Russian, local thing," Haruka teased back.

"You look more girly when you're young… I saw your photos on display," Michiru teased again.

"I'm adopted, Michiru, if that bothers you," Haruka said with a little regret, but in her typical no emotion fashion.

"Like I care…but can I ask why?"

"What do I get in exchange? " Haruka asked back

"Not fair, Tenoh-tomboy, you already know my past."

"I do…but not voluntarily. I didn't know because I looked for it, but I was presented it with it…need I remember you how?"

Michiru thought for a while as she let the conversation hang in mid air while she heard the audible breathing from Haruka. "I'll cook lunch for you today, if you let me use your kitchen."

"Borsch soup?"

Michiru thought a while. "Borsch then."

Haruka gave another nice chuckle as Michiru heard Haruka's office desk phone rang. "Lunch then, Michiru."

Without waiting for Michiru to say a farewell, Haruka just hung up the phone like this without another word. Typical Haruka fashion, typical terrorist fashion, typical boss fashion. Not that Michiru really knew who Haruka was behind her Mentos façade, which was evident that she, like Michiru, is not in Mentos Inc. simply for a living or a job. But sure Haruka was interesting. Irritatingly interesting that it bugs the life out of Michiru that for the first time, she is compelled be so nosey into people's affairs.

Shaking her head, Michiru went to the guest room in search of the money Haruka put in the cupboard's drawer.

* * *

A/N: So yeah, have a good week ahead! Oh, and Happy Deepavali to all those who celebrate it out there.


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